Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu stars Gordon Ryan and Nick Rodriguez faced each other in a submission grappling (EBI-ruled) match at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 3. Although Ryan is known to be a dominating grappler, he barely managed to grab a win. Nick Rodriguez has recently opened up about that bout on an episode of The Simple Man Podcast.

Gordon Ryan was initially meant to face Vinny Magalhaes. But it didn’t happen as the latter couldn’t make weight. Nick Rodriguez had fought Ryan once before in the 2022 ADCC World Championships. ‘The Iron Dragon’ easily took charge of the bout and submitted Rodriguez. Ryan has been on an unbeaten run since 2018. But this time around, many were surprised to see how close the fight was.

The recent match between the two grapplers saw Ryan, considered to be one of the world’s most feared leg lockers, kicked out when Rodriguez audibly popped his foot in a toehold. However, Ryan‘s escaping technique helped him secure the win. ‘The Iron Dragon’ now boasts a record of 92-5-3 in his professional career. There probably isn’t any bigger name in submission grappling than Ryan himself.

Nick Rodriguez talks about the match with Gordon Ryan

Rodriguez mentions that Gordon Ryan couldn’t do much during the bout to counter his moves. “He couldn’t do sh*t, he couldn’t sweep me, he couldn’t get on top, couldn’t do anything. He really just laid on his back, tried to grab grips, and couldn’t do much,” said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez also mentioned that he was able to get into great positions to take control of the fight with Ryan. He said, “I was able to lock my hands in a body lock once or twice, which he was able to defend well… I got my hands locked twice in the match.” 

He added, “My personal opinion, the third or fourth time I got my hands locked around him, I believe I would have passed.”

The 26-year-old believes that ‘The Iron Dragon’ was getting frustration being at the bottom position. He also mentions that Ryan wasn’t being able to make use of his grips. “Usually from the bottom he just moves guys around, start dragging them and whatnot and come on top, and he just wasn’t able to do that this time,” said Rodriguez.

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Rodriguez also spoke about the moment he felt Gordon Ryan’s foot pop as he caught the world champion with a toehold. He said, “When I’m getting the toehold, I hear it cracking and I’m like ‘Oh, I got this.’ So I go a little bit harder, crack it some more, and he kicks out.” Rodriguez also talked about where he went wrong and is determined to refine those skills.

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