The grappling star is positioning himself to appear on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter starring Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler.
The Ultimate Fighter is set to return this summer with Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler as head coaches. While most people are still wowing over the coach selection, BJJ ace Gordon Ryan wants to know if one of the teams needs a jiu jitsu teacher.
Ryan is currently recognized as one of the best jiu jitsu practitioners in the world, and he’s getting paid like it too. “King” recently signed a seven-figure deal with FloSports, which is good money in any combat sport and almost unheard of in grappling. That contract kicks off on February 25th when he faces off against Felipe Pena.
Pena and Ryan have some serious heat coming into that match, but Gordon Ryan tends to generate heat without much effort. Now he’s offering to bring some of that with him to The Ultimate Fighter.
“Wonder if someone needs a jiu jitsu coach,” he wrote on Instagram alongside a poster of the upcoming Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler season of TUF.
Now the question is whether Gordon Ryan is offering his services to Conor McGregor or Michael Chandler. We’re thinking Chandler is the more realistic option as Ryan has a longstanding feud going against Conor’s former jiu jitsu coach Dillon Danis.
McGregor linked up with Danis back in 2016 after getting submitted by Nate Diaz in their first fight. While Dillon has been in a full leg brace and unable to train for the past few years, “The Notorious” still considers him part of the team.
“I’m still rockin’ with Dillon. All the way!” McGregor wrote back in December 2022 before adding “He should be back doing MMA,” rather than a boxing match with KSI. That bout would end up falling apart a month later.
Meanwhile, Michael Chandler trains at Kill Cliff FC, formerly known as Sandford MMA. Most guys bring their own trainers along with them when they do The Ultimate Fighter, and that’s what we expect Chandler and McGregor to do. But that wouldn’t stop “Iron” Mike from potentially inviting Gordon as a special guest, especially if McGregor brings Danis along. Now that would be an episode we wouldn’t want to miss!
The Ultimate Fighter season 31 is set to air between May 30th and August 15th. There’s no date announced for when filming will start, or when McGregor and Chandler will fight.