In recent years, MMA has witnessed a surge in the popularity and dominance of Sambo fighters. With the likes of first Khabib Nurmagomedov and then his protégé Islam Makhachev taking over the UFC with his recent win at UFC 284, the question on everyone’s mind is whether Sambo is the most effective martial art in today’s time, and how it compares to other styles such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. And recently, BJJ king Gordon Ryan was asked this very question, and he settled the debate by offering his insight on the subject.

Despite being a Jiu-Jitsu practitioner himself, Ryan acknowledges the strengths of Sambo and why it works so well in MMA. However, he also believes that Jiu-Jitsu holds an edge over Sambo in one aspect, and he offers a valid reasoning for this stance.

Gordon Ryan believes Sambo fighters are better in MMA but not overall

Gordon Ryan, the renowned Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, recently tackled the question of who wins between Jiu-Jitsu and Sambo, and he answered it with his characteristic clarity and insight. In his opinion, the context is crucial when answering this question, as each martial art has its strengths and weaknesses.

Ryan said, “Definitely in MMA, Sambo guys are doing better than Jiu-Jitsu guys are.” He further added, “That’s because Sambo guys have far better wrestling and they have better submission wrestling than Jiu-Jitsu guys.”

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Gordon Ryan also explained that the effectiveness of Sambo depends on the context. He mentioned that if Sambo fighters were to compete in ADCC, they would not fare well, but in the context of MMA, they tend to perform better.

“Definitely for grappling. Our Olympics is ADCC. And if you look at Sambo guys competing in ADCC, they do notoriously bad compared to Jiu-Jitsu guys. So, that’s why I give the edge, at least in grappling to Jiu-Jitsu.” Stated the BJJ star.

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Moreover, the 27-year-old maintained that, in the context of MMA, Sambo seems to be working pretty well under the MMA guidelines. He also expressed his interest in entering MMA, but he’s held back by one key reason.

What’s stopping ‘The Mountain’ from entering MMA?

During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu star Gordon Ryan spoke candidly about the possibility of transitioning to MMA. Although he expressed a strong desire to compete in the sport, Ryan stated that he feels an obligation to take Jiu-Jitsu forward and be a good ambassador for it.

‘The Mountain’ said, “I’ve always wanted to fight MMA, but I’m in such a good position now. And I feel like it’s like, kind of my job to push Jiu-Jitsu over the hump into mainstream. So I’m not totally ruling it out, but I’m pretty comfortable with just grappling right now.”

The 27-year-old also noted that he’s not completely ruling out the idea of entering MMA at some point. And, who knows, maybe we’ll see me at the UFC someday.

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Would you like to see Gordon Ryan competing in MMA? Perhaps in the UFC? Let us know in the comments below.