Washington based MMA legend Demetrious Johnson recently offered his insights on the hypothetical scenario of Gordon Ryan transitioning from professional grappling to MMA. This topic has garnered significant attention over the years, despite Ryan’s explicit commitment to grappling.
Historically, many BJJ competitors have chosen to pursue careers in MMA. However, Ryan’s unparalleled success in grappling has arguably redefined the landscape, enabling him to achieve financial security and legendary status without transitioning to MMA.
Acknowledging Ryan’s preeminent position in grappling, Johnson, considered one of the greatest MMA fighters ever, evaluated Ryan’s skillset through an MMA lens. Recognizing that grappling constitutes only half of MMA, Johnson expressed his belief that Ryan possesses substantial potential for success in the sport.
Here, he said: “If Gordon Ryan wanted to fight, I think he could probably be world champion in mixed martial arts. He’s just gotta get past the striking part, his ground is so good that he’d be fine. He’s also small. What I mean by small for the heavyweight division, he’d have to go down to 205.”
Beyond acknowledging Ryan’s aptitude for MMA, Johnson went further, suggesting that Ryan could potentially achieve the title of world champion if he were to commit to transitioning careers. Notably, Johnson also recognized the potential challenge of transitioning from a grappling environment potentially permitting performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) to the stricter drug testing policies governing MMA.
Charles Vieira
Charles Vieira is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu brown belt. He has travelled the world extensively training on 4 continents.