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Gordon Ryan was originally scheduled to compete against the “Hulk” Lucas Barbosa next weekend at WNO 21, and again two weeks later on UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5 against Mason Fowler. The two events seemed to be a welcome return to activity for the decorated BJJ superstar, but unfortunately he’s now back in the sidelines again.
Gordon Ryan has pulled out of both events, with WNO confirming the news and saying they’ll soon have an announcement on a possible replacement for the November 30 event.
Ryan was already a relatively late replacement himself for UFC Fight Pass Invitational on December 9, with Georges St-Pierre previously pulling out as well due to injury.
Gordon Ryan announces he’ll be out until 2024
According to the BJJ star, he is pulling out of those two events due to a rib injury he sustained in training.
“A few days ago in training, I was performing back escapes and badly popped my rib during a misdirectional escape. After some time trying to train with it, myself and the team decided it was best to go ahead and reschedule the current matches that are planned,” Gordon Ryan wrote on Instagram.
“In other words, I won’t be competing until next year, but I will be at the events to see all my amazing supporters and coach my team. Sorry everyone, this is just part of the game.”
BJJ great Gordon Ryan has been mostly inactive in 2023
After pulling out of multiple events due to various health issues and other factors, Gordon Ryan will now end 2023 without really being active except for one match against a pretty overmatched opponent at WNO 20.
Ryan is truly one of the most decorated grapplers in history, but he has been criticized for his inactivity and being far more selective on his matches as of late. Instead of taking on a top grappler last October, Ryan instead used that stage for his gimmick “mystery box” to sell a BJJ instructional. Barbosa and Fowler might not have been BJJ fans’ top choices, but they would’ve certainly been far better opponents than his last match, and now those are not happening either.
Perhaps it’s really just the timing of unfortunate injuries, but it’d be understandable either way if he’d feel like it’s not worth competing if he’s not at his absolute physical peak. Ryan now likely earns more in instructionals and seminars than one BJJ match, and perhaps at this point in his career, keeping that reputation and undefeated streak is more important for his legacy and bottom line. That’s not exactly be great for fans, but it’d be smart to keep his gravy train rolling as very few can ever earn that much in BJJ.
Ryan, who is still just 28, is a five time ADCC champion and three time no-gi world champ. No word yet if he plans to take matches before this, but Ryan is expected to compete at the ADCC 2024 world championships next year, where he can add more accolades to his already decorated career.
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