Gordon Ryan discloses major injury suffered during first ADCC Super Fight
Gordon Ryan made history as the first athlete to compete in two super fights at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) World Championships. He faced off against career-rival Felipe Pena on Saturday (Aug. 17) before taking on Yuri Simoes on Sunday (Aug. 18) in this year's edition of the competition.
'The King' secured victory in both matches to continue his unbeaten streak that stretches all the way back to 2018. However, his triumphs did not come easily, as the current king of no-gi grappling has disclosed a serious injury suffered against Pena.
According to Ryan, he suffered a grade two tear of his Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) in his knee. The 29-year old recently took to Instagram to reflect on his 2024 ADCC performance, and wrote:
"In the first ten minutes of my match with Felipe I pretty badly tore my LCL (grade 2). Once I cooled down and the dust settled, I had very little stability in my knee, couldn't bend or straighten it all the way."
He continued:
"I told Mo [Jassim] that if I could walk to those mats in the morning I was beating Andre's [Galvoa] record... When it was match time, my knee was instable but almost pain-free. I was able to put on a mask and go out there as if everything was okay and get the win."
See Gordon Ryan's post below:
Gordon Ryan called out for $2 million grappling match by Nicky Rodriguez
ADCC 2024 went head-to-head with the Craig Jones Invitational (CJI), as two of the most watched Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournaments ever took place on the same weekend.
The CJI was created by Craig Jones to help revolutionize athlete pay in BJJ, as the prize money for winning ADCC had remained the same since 2017, at $10,000.
The massive $1 million prize money for winning the CJI saw many of the best BJJ athletes opt to compete at the newly-created tournament, instead of ADCC.
Elite heavyweight grappler, Nicky Rodriguez, was crowned winner of the +80KG division at the CJI, after which he called out Gordon Ryan. He said:
"The only thing better than $1 million, is $2 million. So let's do this, I want a bet-match. Mr. Gordon Ryan, 'cause I know it in my bones that I'm the absolute grappler on the planet. So let's do this, my $1 million versus your $1 million, winner take all."
Watch Nicky Rodriguez's callout below (3:25:25):