BJJ icon Gordon Ryan was very impressed with the grappling skills of undisputed UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones during their week of training.
Originally scheduled to headline UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5 on December 10, Ryan was forced to withdraw due to a rib injury. Still, that didn’t stop the greatest grappler on the planet from taking in the action live inside The APEX in Las Vegas. In the main event of the evening, Nicholas Meregali defeated Felipe Pena via a rear-naked choke while Nicky Rod added another win to his resume, besting Yuri Simoes on points.
Following the festivities, Gordon Ryan spoke with media members at the post-fight press event. While there, he opened up about his training sessions with Jon Jones in October.
“With Jon Jones, he’s very similar to GSP (George St. Pierre) in that he’s not the best in any one area, but the way he combines everything is just on another level,” Ryan said. Even just grappling. Like, his ability to intuitively change his gameplay from, you know, the start of the roll to the end of the roll, from round to round, is incredibly impressive.
“So the most impressive thing is, obviously, his ability to put everything together, but his ability to adapt as the match goes on and change the game plan per what you’re doing. I was very impressed with him as a person and as an athlete all around.“
Gordon Ryan Heaps Praise on Jon Jones’ Ability to Pick Things up quickly
Jon Jones was in the process of preparing for a heavyweight superfight with former two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic at UFC 296. Sadly, ‘Bones’ was forced to withdraw after suffering a pectoral tear weeks before fight night.
He recently underwent surgery and is expected to be out for six to eight months, putting his potential return around summer 2024 at the earliest.
“You always go in and you don’t know what to expect from you’re training with athletes from other sports,” Ryan added. Obviously, he doesn’t focus on jiu-jitsu, but his wrestling is top-notch. His jiu-jitsu is tough and he’s good from everywhere. He learns incredibly quickly. Most of the time, you see guys… Young athletes usually learn a lot faster. It’s like the old saying, you can’t teach old dogs new tricks, but he’s nearing 40 now, and everything I taught him…
“If I taught him five things and he instantly picked up three, he’d instantly put those three things into his game and he was hitting them 100 times better from the start of the week to the end. He was a really impressive person to be around.“
Gordon Ryan has not competed in BJJ since scoring a victory over Nicky Rod at a Fight Pass Invitational event in December 2022. He is expected to be back on the mat in 2024.