Gordon Ryan is out of the hospital after an insane 40-day antibiotic binge.
To be clear, the medicine “King” was forced to receive helped save his life from what appeared to be an incurable strain of Strep throat, which not only put the jiu-jitsu ace out of acton for several months, but also re-aggravated existing issues with his stomach.
The same issues that rendered him “useless” and nearly forced an early retirement.
“Everyone posts their best. Be confident enough to post your worst,” Ryan wrote on Instagram. “This post is simply to update everyone on my current athletic status. I’m not asking for sympathy or help, and in fact, would prefer if you lose faith in me so I can prove you wrong like I always do. The last time I was this size, (201 lbs., 20+ lbs. this week) I was 21 years old. When I got the strep in early March, my ears became so inflamed that every time I elevated my heart rate I felt my head would explode. It’s been two months since I’ve been able to do any intense activity. I spoke with my doctor and got the silicone stints taken out of my nose and I’m told I cant start lifting for another three weeks and training for roughly two months. This will make three months of zero activity and five months of no training. That, coupled with the fact that over 40 days of antibiotics wasn’t great for my stomach, it’s safe to say I have a long road back to competition.”
Here’s a “before” pic for comparison:
Stunned fans continue to blame steroids in the comments section.
“My focus now, as an athlete, is on getting healthy and helping my teammates and students prepare for matches,” Ryan continued. “No matter how ill I’ve been, there’s nothing worse than not being there to help them prepare for upcoming matches, and not being there to give John Danaher the Gordon he deserves. My goal in this sport is simple: double gold in ADCC until I’m 40 years old and have more ADCC medals than Buchecha has world titles. That being said, for five years now, my body, specifically my immune system and stomach have been barely cooperating with this plan. Given the time I’ve missed to nurse my pathetic body back to health, it may be difficult long term to stay ahead of the curve I was once far ahead of. I have done so thus far and have no intention of letting those down to depend on me. The goal isn’t to be in the mix having fun. Winning, that’s what’s fun for me. I will attempt to, and succeed at staying on top until my body quits on me completely. Doctor prescribed antibiotics are as much a gift as they are a curse. Theyve saved my life a fair amount of times, yet also ruined it. Antibiotics have done my body more harm than anything else in my life. Thank you for being patient with my competition schedule. Just know, when I come back, boy, will I be back.”
Ryan, 27, has not competed since a short-notice victory over longtime rival Nicky Rodriguez at Fight Pass Invitational 3 last last year. “King” was supposed to return against Felipe Pena at Tezos WNO earlier this year but withdrew to address his recurring health problems.
Based on the above pic I would not expect to see Ryan return until some point in 2024.