Gordon Ryan is considered the GOAT of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by many. Except for those who take issue with his PED usage, about which the American grappler is pretty open. After all, the major BJJ tournaments like the ADCC do not test their participants for PEDs, which gives most grapplers a blank check to juice as much as they want. And Ryan is just open about it.

And for good reasons. After all, if most of the other grapplers use them and Ryan doesn’t, it puts him at a disadvantage. However, his PED usage is predictably pretty unpopular among fans, and it turns out even among other grapplers. In fact, UFC star and BJJ maestro Kron Gracie recently took to social media and wrote a long post about his thoughts on the subject. “It’s illegal in every sport, only in jiujitsu and MMA people look past this and think it’s ok?! Lance Armstrong lost everything and he’s just riding bikes,” Gracie wrote.

Of course, PEDs are illegal in MMA. But what Gracie is probably referring to is the willingness of many to look past Jon Jones‘ history of PED usage and still proclaim him the GOAT, when being caught using steroids would disqualify an athlete from the GOAT conversation in many other sports. Ryan was so incensed with this that he took to Instagram and wrote a long and belligerent post of his own, even going as far as to essentially accuse the legendary Gracie clan of PED usage.

“…They say steroids are illegal in jj.. they’re just not. Like, they’re just… not lmao. 2+2 just isn’t 5. It’s just not. You can say you don’t like them. You can say they’re not right. You can say they should be illegal, but the FACT is that they’re just simply… not 😂. Also, you’re gonna tell me the family hasn’t used steroids in jj and MMA for the last 5+ decades? Places where they were legal? Hahaha,” Ryan wrote along with a screenshot of Gracie’s Insta Story blasting PED usage in BJJ and its acceptability in MMA. But fans were having none of it.

Fans react to Gordon Ryan’s defense of PED usage in BJJ

While Ryan’s whole post was about defending his own PED usage in BJJ, he failed to address Kron Gracie’s point about people ‘looking past’ it in MMA with Jon Jones. This is why one fan was correct in pointing out that even by Ryan’s logic, Jon Jones, with whom he is close, should be out of the GOAT conversation because of his PED usage history. “They’re legal in the adcc but not in mma. Isn’t this argument a valid reason for why your buddy Jon Jones shouldn’t be the goat?”

Of course, just because something is legal doesn’t necessarily mean it is right. At least that is what one fan’s point was, who felt that “It should be illegal, chill out juice head.” Not to mention using PEDs by definition gives an unfair advantage over an opponent who hasn’t used them. Not to mention it’s not a good look purely from a PR and sporting perspective. “No integrity to sportsmanship is a weird banner to wave,” one fan volunteered.

To be fair, if you get technical, Ryan’s point that steroids are not illegal in BJJ is factually incorrect. In fact, using any steroids without a valid doctor’s prescription is still illegal in America according to the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990. But since the ADCC doesn’t test for them, BJJ athletes can use them without consequences, which still doesn’t make it ‘legal’, as one fan pointed out. “If you’re competing in America and taking steroids without an actual medical prescription. Then yes, they’re illegal in the sport. Regardless of if an organization tests. They’re illegal.”

Another fan felt that the grappler was confusing why people speak up against PED usage. Most critics do not say that steroids are ‘illegal’ in BJJ. Instead, they say it shouldn’t be ‘legal’. “Nobody is saying they are illegal in BJJ. They are saying that they SHOULD be. You are on them because everyone was. So what if everyone isn’t. Shouldn’t you still dominate?”

Again, doing PEDs and being proud and open about it is not a good look since steroids and cheating are almost synonymous in the sporting world. This is why one fan felt that it took something away from the sheer greatness of Ryan: “You really do a lot of mental gymnastics to justify your steroid use. It diminishes your accomplishments.” What do you think about Gordon Ryan and Kron Gracie’s back-and-forth?