Gordon Ryan ADCC 2022: The greatest event in grappling history is over. New stars emerged, established stars shone bright again, but one man stood above all like a colossus – Gordon Ryan. I have seen many incredible feats of grappling, but I never saw a performance like this. For many, Mr Ryan is a polarizing figure in the sport, for many others an inspiration to look up to, but after this weekend there was no disagreement among haters and fans about his merit – He is the best ever. It was a long and difficult journey to ADCC 2022. Just one year ago we were having a difficult conversation about whether he could even continue in in the sport due to a debilitating stomach ailment. We barely had training partners and many sessions had to be abandoned soon after starting when extreme nausea from his stomach flared up. Over time he clawed his way back to a level where could train acceptably well and began to plot his return. It began with exhibition matches to get used to performing on stage again. Then he formulated an ambitious plan to run three back to back events, a return match against current champion Pedro Merinho, a rematch against past nemesis, Felipe Pena and then ADCC itself. On the surface it was a crazy plan because the three matches had totally different rule sets and the training would require a continuous sixteen weeks of training for three rule sets against the best of the best. At one point Mr Ryan was doing thirty minute sparring rounds daily in preparation for no time limit match and then a couple of weeks later multiple ten minute ADCC wrestling rounds – it was brutal. He went through it all and emerged as the undisputed best of all time. It was a virtuoso performance of unmatched technique, preparation and confidence. No one else can claim credit for his achievement – this was his and his alone. No one else today brings together technical depth, tactical insight and the confidence to use them onstage as he does. I had many students, but I had only one Gordon Ryan.
