It appears that Gordon Ryan is thinking about – and, perhaps, hinting at – retirement from submission grappling competition.
Ryan has been battling health issues for a while now, mostly related to his stomach. And these health issues have been hindering him from both competing and training as regularly as he used to do before.
Despite that, he still competed at ADCC 2024, winning two gold medals.
However, now it appears that he might retire.
Here’s what Ryan had to say in a recent social media post:
Before the age of 30… I
-have the best and most loyal friends in the world
-uncontested best ever
-have 3 degrees on my black belt
-have 7 ADCC gold medals (and a silver)
-22-1 at ADCC without ever conceding a point in a winning match
-owner of Toe Hold and New Wave Jiu-Jitsu HQ (coming soon)
-multi millionaire
-102-4 in my no gi career since black belt
-58 matches and 6 years unbeaten, winning 6 ADCCs, 2 no gi pans, and 2 no gi worlds in that time
-The highest submission rate out of any ADCC champion, ever
-beaten more ADCC medalists than anyone in history
-gave the best guys in the world 10-1 bet odds
And then he followed up with something that sounds like retirement:
I hope you all enjoyed the Gordon Ryan era because there won’t be another one close to it in our lifetime.
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So, what do you think?
Will Gordon Ryan retire from the sport?
Sloth Jiu-Jitsu: you can be slow and unathletic and still kick butt in Jiu-Jitsu.