Gordon Ryan recently opened up about his history with steroids – and the reasoning behind his decision to use them.
Ryan explained that the lack of testing played a significant role in his initial decision:
Number one, because they were legal in Jiu-Jitsu…
Especially back then in 2016 when I started, there was no organizations in Jiu-Jitsu that even tested for PEDs.
So, they were just like clearly legal.Number two, people don’t remember anything other than the fact that you won or lost.
Noone talks about the fact that Khabib (Nurmagomedov) missed weight how many times? Six, seven, eight times?
They talk about the fact that Khabib’s undefeated.The only thing that people care about is whether you won or whether you lost.
They don’t care if you were injured, they don’t care if you were sick, they don’t care if you had a good camp, a bad camp.What everyone cares about, when everyone looks back in ten years, is: “Did this guy win or did this guy lose?”
That combined with the fact that steroids are legal in Jiu-Jitsu, it kinda made it a no-brainer.
He pinpointed his first experience with steroids to after winning EBI 11 at 170 pounds in early 2017, just months before his ADCC debut at under 88kg:
My first introduction to PEDs, steroids, whatever we’re gonna call them…
Was after I won EBI (at) 170(lbs). Then after that I started going up in weight and getting to a higher weight class.
Despite his controversial decision, Ryan maintains that PEDs are not responsible for his early success:
I was submitting ADCC champions and medallists way before I was ever on steroids.
While I was natural, while these guys were juiced up.Like natural, I submitted Yuri (Simoes), I submitted Rustam (Khabilov)…
Then I submitted Keenan (Cornelius), I submitted Vagner (Rocha).I submitted all these guys natural, having just gotten my black belt.
So I was 5 years into doing Jiu-Jitsu, I had just gotten my black belt, and I was 20 years old between 180 and 190lbs natural…And I was submitting all the best guys in the world.
Sloth Jiu-Jitsu: you can be slow and unathletic and still kick butt in Jiu-Jitsu.
