Ryan pushed back against Mikey Musumeci’s recent criticisms of his pro-steroids position, saying people want to see the best and the best are on PEDs.
In the steroids vs. competing clean debate that continues in the submission grappling world, Gordon Ryan continues to be an ardent spokesperson for using as many PEDs as possible.
Gordon’s name was brought up a lot by new UFC-exclusive grappler Mikey Musumeci, who pinned a lot of blame for the sport’s acceptance of performance enhancing drugs at the feet of “King Ryan.” In a new interview following his gig as an announcer at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 9, the decorated 29-year-old grappler shrugged off the criticism.
“I’m pretty indifferent as to PEDs one way or the other,” Ryan told press at UFC 310 (video via MMA Fighting). “If a tournament wants to have them, great. If they don’t wanna have them, great. Now 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.”
To Ryan, it’s a simple equation.
“IF PEOPLE WANT TO SEE THE BEST ATHLETES, THE BEST ATHLETES ARE THE PEOPLE ON PED’S”
Gordon Ryan gives his honest take on PED’s in combat sports#UFC310 pic.twitter.com/FwFKtfyETH
— FULL SEND MMA (@full_send_mma) December 8, 2024
“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.”
Gordon noted that all the testing in the world hadn’t stopped the proliferation of performance enhancing drugs in sport.
“All that PED testing really does, in my opinion, is it makes it so that the people with the good teams and doctors can afford to beat the tests, and then the guys who are up-and-coming, who are at some obscure gym in Kentucky who were trying to make their way up? Those guys can’t beat the test, and they have to compete natural.”
“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 anyways. Whereas if they’re legal, then everybody can just take as many steroids as they want.”
The ADCC champion argued that PEDs also helped extend an athlete’s career and keep them healthy. It’s a hard sell from a man who can barely compete any more due to endless stomach issues and repeated knee injuries some suggest were worsened by drug use. PEDs may have helped him become one of the biggest names in grappling, but now he’s being forced to take another break through 2025 at least.
“I’m just trying to rehab my knee right now because I had an ACL and PCL sprain,” he said. “And then a grade 2 LCL tear in the first [2024 ADCC superfight] match the match with Pena.”
“Number one: the main thing is my health, just getting my stomach to a point where I can actually grapple well. And then number two: we’ll see what ADCC becomes in 2026, because this last one, my stomach was so bad. I just did this as a favor to [ADCC organizer] Mo [Jassim]. But now that Mo’s gone, I really have no reason to do it unless I’m healthy enough and there’s some kind of incentive to do it.”
There’s always commentating on the UFC’s FPI events, which keeps Ryan in the spotlight. Regardless of what you think of his opinions, the man draws eyeballs, and that can only be good for the growth of the sport at this pivotal moment in its history.