Yesterday, Gordon Ryan wished his mother happy birthday on Instagram while showing a throwback picture of him as a child together with his mom. Interestingly, he also revealed how his brother Nicky Ryan got his name which was part of the picture. Unlike most conventional ways of naming a newlyborn child, this is also a little different but also quite wholesome.
Captioning the photo, Ryan wrote: ‘Happy birthday to the best momma I could ask to have. Hope you enjoy it. Ps – @nickyryanbjj is named after that baby doll.’ Here, a young Gordon Ryan was pictured holding a toy doll.
This comment was confirmed by his mother who replied saying, ‘Yes indeed @nickyryanbjj is named after that baby doll. Your favorite toy.’
Since the photo in question, it’s fair to say that the Ryan brothers have come a long way. Originally raised in Marlboro, NJ – they are both now living in Austin where Gordon Ryan competes out of New Wave and Nicky out of B-Team. Whether the brothers will eventually reunite at some point remains to be seen. However, it looks like Nicky Ryan’s name origin is one of the coolest stories in BJJ when it comes to how someone earned their birth name.
Charles Vieira
Charles Vieira is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu brown belt. He has travelled the world extensively training on 4 continents.