"Everyone has my name in their mouth online” - Gordon Ryan criticizes Olympic gold medalist Gable Stevenson for calling him out but refusing to fight
Gordon Ryan has taken a shot at Gable Stevenson, the 2020 Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalist (125 kg), for calling out 'The King' online but refusing to face him in a match.
Ryan is arguably the greatest no-gi Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner of all time, and given his dominance in the sport, he has caught the attention of athletes in other grappling-based martial arts.
Having already faced, and defeated, talented wrestler Bo Nickal in a BJJ match in 2020, the No.1 pound-for-pound grappler in the world has welcomed the challenge of Stevenson.
Watch Ryan submit Nickal with a triangle choke below:
But after the Olympian failed to reach out for a potential showdown, the 28-year-old took to Instagram to criticize his bravado. Ryan also noted that Stevenson called him out during his ongoing health issues.
'The King' wrote this:
"Everyone has my name in their mouth online, especially since I'm unhealthy again. But when it's actually time to compete... I tried making that match happen many times and was left on read every single time."
See Gordon Ryan's Instagram stories below:
Gordon Ryan turns his attention to issue of female fighter pay in BJJ
Gordon Ryan is arguably the biggest name in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and one of the most accomplished athletes in the sport's history.
'The King' has never been shy of voicing his opinions online, and he recently shared his thoughts on the discussion surrounding fighter pay in BJJ. Ffion Davies, one of the biggest stars in the sport, specifically in the female divisions, recently called for an improvement in pay for women in BJJ.
Her request drew the attention of Ryan, who shared his frustration with Davies' comments. The 4x Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) world champion took to Instagram and wrote this:
"Turning this into a men vs. women thing is a joke. It's like when the WNBA player talk about how they should be paid equally. But when they actually ran the math the players were being overpaid... The best women currently and in the past aren't as physical or as technical as men. You can cry all you want, but that statement is a fact."
See Gordon Ryan's post below: