Grappling icon Gordon Ryan is stepping away from competition … yet again.
After a soft retirement back in 2021, due to lingering health issues, the no-gi “King” attempted to resurrect his jiu-jitsu career in 2022, racking up nine straight wins (and one ADCC championship) before falling off again in 2023.
His lone appearance last year came in a submission victory over Patrick Gaudio.
Along the way, the 28 year-old Ryan continued to make headlines for his spiraling health, which caused the New Jersey native to lose (then magically regain) weight. After yet another fight cancellation to kickoff 2024, it appears Ryan will be sitting out until ADCC returns later this year.
Or perhaps not at all.
“I’m taking some time,” Ryan wrote in a wordy update on Instagram. “I was going to make two posts, but I posted the stomach update in slides two and three. I came back for ADCC 2022, which I barely made it to with my stomach. After ADCC, I got overconfident and went ahead and started competing again, which was against my initial plan. The fourth Pena camp was the hardest I ever pushed my body. The last two weeks, my body shut down, and after my best camp ever, I couldn’t compete. Then, because of my stomach issues, my suppressed immune system took 45 days (on antibiotics) to clear a simple strep throat infection, which then colonized in my tonsils (also have strep and staph in my intestines), needing them to be removed.”
“It took me six months to recover from that camp,” Ryan continued. “What I went through these last few weeks wasn’t fun. I was bedridden for weeks without eating, stomach full with bile, spending 3-4 hours a day belching and dry heaving in the bathroom. While living that, I’ve finally accepted and came to peace with the fact that my body can’t handle the amount of pressure I put it under until my stomach and immune system is 100% better. My immune system simply can’t handle the workload of camp after camp. I am going to attempt to, as hard as this is, not return to competition until my stomach on paper is 100% better. I don’t care how much money I lose, I don’t care what people think, I cannot live like this. When people say that nothing in life matters but your health, they are absolutely right. Feeling like I have been, I’d trade it all just to be healthy.”
“As much as it pains me, I’m going to attempt to step away from all competitions EXCEPT ADCC until my stomach is 100% healthy on paper, by the tests, and by how I feel,” Ryan said. “Working at half better is only working on borrowed time until my body shuts down again from the workload I put on it. Taking however much time I need to get 100% healthy. I believe it will be better longterm, obviously for day-to-day life, but also competition success and reliability as an athlete showing up. As hard as this is, I will only be competing at ADCC until my health is 100% restored, and if it’s not, no one will ever do what I’ve done, so I can be at peace with that. Love you all.”
Expect rivals like Nicky Rod and Craig Jones to have a lot to say on this latest withdrawal.