Gordon Ryan loves his PEDs.
The seven-time ADCC world champion recently snapped back at Mikey Musumeci after ‘Darth Rigatoni’ placed much of the blame on him for BJJ’s acceptance of the rampant PED use that has plagued the sport for years.
Ryan, who has been an outspoken advocate of performance-enhancing drugs in jiu-jitsu, responded to Musumeci’s comments over the weekend, suggesting that PED use delivers better athletes, better matches, and better paydays — plain and simple.
“I’m pretty indifferent as to PEDs one way or the other,” Ryan told the press at UFC 310. “If a tournament wants to have them, great. If they don’t wanna have them, great. I think, obviously, the matches will be better. I think the athletes will be better athletes. The athletes will definitely be able to get paid more because the better you perform, the better you look” (h/t MMA Mania).
Gordon Ryan continues to advocate for PED use in BJJ
Last month, Musumeci made history by becoming the first submission grappler to sign an exclusive contract with the UFC. Ahead of his debut at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 9 on December 5, Musumeci revealed that his ultimate goal is to help the promotion expand its footprint in the grappling game and to do it exclusively with clean athletes.
Ryan seems to think that approach is a bad idea for everyone.
“The reason people watch professional sports is to see the absolute best athletes in the world do what they do,” he said. “And when you take performance enhancers, it makes you a better athlete. So, I just think that across the board, if people wanna see the best athletes, the best athletes are the people on PEDs.
“So, all you’re doing is making it so the guys on top can still afford to beat the test, and the guys on bottom can’t afford to beat the test. So, then you have natural guys competing against juice guys anyway. Whereas if they’re legal, then everybody can just take as many steroids as they want.”
Aside from a handful of superfights over the summer, Ryan’s appearances on the mat have been few and far between while he continues to battle with stomach issues. Despite the lack of activity, Ryan has remained a prominent figure in the sport, appearing as a commentator for events, such as the most recent UFC FPI card.
