There’s a big debate whenever an MMA fighter gets to skip rank and gets promoted without much gi skills. Gordon Ryan recently decided to stir some controversy when he exclaimed:
Any time Gordon Ryan is absent from a major competition there’s a question why he isn’t competing in the GI. Well Gordon used to compete in the gi – as evidenced by both:
So the truth is somewhere in the middle. However one explanation for why we haven’t seen him compete in the gi was that he was ineligible to compete as a black belt:
To be an IBJJF legitimate black belt you must :
Minimum age requirements for athletes starting from 16 years old
White – Any age
Blue – 16 years or more
Purple – 16 years or more
Brown – 18 years or more
Black – 19 years or more
this requirement was also an issue for Gordon:
The graduation of athletes must also meet the following minimum periods of permanence in each color
Athletes between 16 and 17 years old
White – No minimum time
Blue – No minimum time
Purple – 2 (two) years
Athletes from 18 years old – White Belt to Brown Belt
White – no minimum time
Blue – 2 (two) years
Purple – 1 (one) year and a half
Brown – 1 (one) year
Regardless of the guidelines and just how true Ryan’s statement is he’s undoubtedly a skilled grappler as evidenced by his 3 ADCC medals. However there are significant guard differences between nogi and gi.
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