Gordon Ryan recently addressed allegations surrounding Andre Galvao on the Overdogs USA podcast. The BJJ superstar offered his perspective on the controversial situation that has rocked the jiu-jitsu community.
When asked about the recent allegations involving Andre Galvao and claims of inappropriate conduct with a former student, Gordon Ryan admitted he had not been following all the details closely.
“I know, like, you know, I don’t know how many girls or what the whole situation is.”
“I’ve been, like, just filming instructionals all night and, like, teaching John’s classes all day.”
“I’m so over jiu-jitsu drama”
The hosts explained that one accuser claimed Andre Galvao had been training her since she was 14 years old, allegedly making inappropriate comments throughout her time under his instruction, with the behavior escalating as she became of legal age. Gordon Ryan acknowledged this would be deeply problematic if true.
“Yeah, that’s definitely a huge problem. For sure. And, you know, if, if, if this is true and, you know, if, if it is true, then I hope it comes out and, you know, it’s dealt with.”
“I do feel like, in jiu-jitsu, there is, this is going to be so controversial, but I do feel like there is just a culture within jiu-jitsu where, you know, for, like, in Brazil, for example, I think the legal age is a lot lower.”
He continued:
“So, for, for, for older men to date a lot younger women is just, like, a totally culturally accepted thing. Like, you know, I know people, you know, in their, like, late 20s who are, like, dating 14-year-olds in Brazil, and it’s just, like, a relatively normal thing as it is in the rest of the world. But it’s just not how we do it in America.”
Gordon Ryan emphasized that such cultural differences do not excuse inappropriate behavior in America.
“So I think that be because the the culture is dominated so much so heavily by Brazilian culture that it it kind of became more normalized in our sport than it otherwise would have in other sports because it is just built into the culture uh in Brazil”
“I think it’s way worse if you’re, like, teaching a girl from, like, the age of eight and then you, like, you know, start, like, b**ging her when she’s older. Uh, that’s, like, totally unacceptable in, in my, in my opinion.”
Regarding his personal relationship with Andre Galvao, Gordon Ryan clarified that their rivalry ended after their ADCC match.
“My whole personal beef with Andre, we ended after ADCC, after we competed. So I don’t really have, I never really had a beef with Andre. He just tried to press me. So I was like, I guess we’re going to fight. And I was never really mad at him.”
The two had even discussed potential collaborations.
“After ADCC, we were, like, totally cool. And we discussed, like, me doing, like, us doing camps together and stuff like that. So I don’t have any personal issues with Andre.”
Gordon Ryan expressed hope that the truth would emerge, noting the devastating impact on Andre Galvao‘s legacy regardless of the outcome.
“I hope the truth comes out either way. And, you know, obviously, if, if what is being said is true, he can get [ ]. But I just, you know, and if it’s not, it’s terrible because, you know, he’s basically lost his entire empire at this point.”
He observed the rapid fallout:
“Every, every, every time you wake up and look at your phone, another ADCC champion is leaving, or, like, another affiliate, you know, is leaving. So this has, like, completely destroyed his legacy.”
Gordon Ryan concluded with a call for accountability across the sport.
“I actually hope at this point that it is true because, if, if it’s not, I mean, the guy’s like… I hope, I hope the truth comes out either way, and I hope, you know, the one girl or the women either get justice or, you know, Andre proves himself innocent, and then we go from there.”
He added a final warning:
“I hope this is, like, a wakeup call to, like, the other people in the sport that, like, what is okay, what is okay in Brazil, like, probably isn’t okay here.”
