Congratulations to Gordon Ryan and giancarlo Bodoni! These two incredible grapplers just won @flograppling Best Male Athlete 2022 (Gordon Ryan) and Breakthrough Grappler 2022 (Giancarlo Bodoni) awards! It was an incredible year for both men in ways that were both very different and similar. Both relocated to Austin Texas as part of a broken team. Both were regarded as unlikely candidates for a great 2022. Mr Ryan was reconciling himself with the notion of retirement due to a severe stomach problem and had fallen away from competition and even training was very difficult and frequently interrupted. Mr Bodoni was coming of seven consecutive losses in relatively minor league local no gi competition. Their diligence and perseverance allowed them to claw their way back into the game – small steps in the gym followed by smaller competitions. Mr Ryan began with exhibition matches and Mr Bodoni started with local competitions against unknowns. Both put in huge amounts of work and made changes to their game that kept them progressing forward. In the biggest show in grappling history – ADCC 2022 – both shone like stars. All that unseen hard work put them in a mindset where they could not be beaten. Watching that progression from such an unpromising start to such a dazzling conclusion in such a short timeframe will be forever one of the most impressive displays of training commitment I saw in my career. Congratulations to both of you! No one deserves it more!!
