MMA is one of the most popular combat sports in the world. Every combat sports practitioner wants to be tested in the most competitive world of mixed martial arts. However, there is one ‘GOAT’ of jiu-jitsu who thinks otherwise. Gordon Ryan has spoken on the topic of whether he would jump into the world of MMA when he is given a chance. Moreover, the ‘King’ spoke of his role in ‘pushing’ jiu-jitsu to reach new heights. Furthermore, some interesting insights into the mind of the jiu-jitsu ‘GOAT’ can be seen from the interview.
Gordon Ryan speaks of his role in ‘Pushing’ Jiu-Jitsu
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In an interview with Ariel Helwani, the ‘King’ addressed some points on his role in jiu-jitsu. The jiu-jitsu GOAT said why he should not go for MMA. According to Ryan, he listens to Georges St. Pierre‘s coach John Danaher. He said, “I don’t know…John [Danaher] has never been wrong. Our coach has never been wrong about anything. He’s never been wrong.”
‘The King’ further talked about the mystic-like ability of his coach, saying, “He’s told me things and whether it be five years or three years or seven years later, he always ends up being right, and John is like, ‘Absolutely do not go into MMA. You already make a ton of money doing this, you’re considered the greatest of all time already…”
Furthermore, the star jiu-jitsu athlete spoke about the future of jiu-jitsu as explained by his coach, he said, “and jiu-jitsu is about to become mainstream, and once it becomes mainstream, everyone is going to get paid more and jiu-jitsu is going to be a real sport. You’re the forefront of that and if you move to MMA now, that could be lost.’ So I don’t know. Maybe if one of the other guys from the team wins an ADCC Absolute or something.”
Speaking on the subject, Ryan added a bold claim wherein he took the responsibility for pushing jiu-jitsu into the mainstream. The ‘King’ said, “I’ve always wanted to fight MMA, but I’m in such a good position now and I feel like its kind of my job to push jiu-jitsu over the hump into the mainstream. So I’m not totally ruling it out, but I’m pretty comfortable with just grappling right now.”
Ryan compares himself to combat sports greats
It is no doubt that Ryan has immense confidence in himself. The jiu-jitsu great told Helwani that he thought he was similar to Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor. He compared these legends’ contribution to their sport to his contribution to jiu-jitsu.
What do you think about Gordon Ryan’s thoughts? Is he wrong in not pursuing a career in MMA?
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Edited by
Vineet Nandwana