Andrew Tackett raised an interesting question: could Gordon Ryan beat Mikey Musumeci, in a match where leg locks are allowed?
The topic surfaced during a broader conversation about Musumeci’s upcoming match with Bryce Mitchell and the sense that the Jiu-Jitsu world doesn’t fully appreciate how technically sharp Musumeci really is.
Host Demetrious Johnson noted:
Sometimes I don’t think people realize how good Mikey is…
To which Tackett replied:
I’ve trained with that man for a year now – and I just finally figured out his game to where he’s not submitting me every train session.
When the discussion shifted to a hypothetical Arman Tsarukyan matchup with Musumeci, Tackett didn’t hesitate:
If there’s leg locks, there’s no possible way Arman’s winning. If there’s leg locks, there’s no way anyone’s winning.
I don’t even know if Gordon Ryan could beat Mikey if there’s legs.
Johnson backed that up, noting Ryan has said as much himself, that he could not do it.
Tackett responded:
How do you pass that guard?
Tackett summed up just how unsolvable the puzzle seems to him:
I feel like the only way you can beat Mikey is if you just like headbutt him 30 times, you know, and just make it as mean as possible.
But good luck. He’s good at avoiding that, too.
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