Calling Gordon Ryan polarizing may very well be a huge understatement. There are many who speak highly of the 5-time ADCC champion and others, not so much. However, Ryan has the backing of UFC and BJJ legend Royce Gracie, who shared a few good words about him recently, and interestingly, the 28-year-old reacted to it.

Royce Gracie made his maiden appearance on the ‘Joe Rogan Experience’ podcast, where he reminisced about his UFC career, while also having other conversations with the host. But when he turned to talk about BJJ goat Gordon Ryan, Gracie had some choice words regarding the 28-year-old’s misunderstood demeanor.

Royce Gracie praises Gordon Ryan as 5-time ADCC champion reacted on social media

When it comes to BJJ, there’s none other than the Gracie family who stand out as the real pioneers of that martial art. Similarly, Royce Gracie claims Gordon Ryan is doing the same thing, even though he tends to rub people the wrong way by challenging them, which the UFC legend sees nothing wrong with.

“I told him [that] people are misunderstanding what he’s saying. He’s challenging people. I said that’s good. That’s what my family did,” Royce Gracie told Joe Rogan, who’s also a vocal admirer of Gordon Ryan as well. The way how the Gracie family operated, according to the first UFC champion, was to challenge people and get it done on the mat, which often works as a confidence boost, and that’s exactly what Gordon Ryan is all about.

“You say you’re good [and] I say I’m good. There’s only one way to find out. And I told him [to] keep doing it cos’ that will push people,” Royce Gracie added. When Gordon Ryan came across these words from the UFC legend, he shared a clip of Gracie’s JRE interview and seemed over the moon about it. There’s no denying that both legends have a healthy respect present between the two GOATs.

Royce Gracie is not a stranger to Gordon Ryan because he had once rolled with him on the mat, and the UFC legend even shared that experience with Joe Rogan.

Ryan’s “very respectful” and a “beast” on the mat, claims Gracie

When a BJJ pioneer claims you are good, you certainly are good and that’s what happened with Gordon Ryan. When Royce Gracie decided to roll on the mat with the 5-time ADCC champion, the 27-year-old took it easy on the MMA legend and did not try to make any harsh moves.  The grappling sessions were a fun exchange between the two legends, but Royce Gracie realized at that moment how good Gordon Ryan really was in Jiu-Jitsu.

“Gordon Ryan came up like, man can we roll a little bit? Like, sure. Let’s roll… The guy’s a beast, man… I know of him. So, he’s very respectful. We were going very light, and he’s going easy on me,” Royce Gracie stated. He revealed that Gordon Ryan looked effortless and didn’t even get into a lather, which was a massive surprise for the UFC legend.

It must be so claiming and satisfying for Gordon Ryan to be able to impress a pioneer of the sport he’s made his name in. But what do you make of these comments from Royce Gracie? Drop your comments below.