Gordon Ryan’s recent retirement announcement appeared in a number of outlets despite the fact that Ryan hasn’t been active in years.
In his Instagram post marking ten years at black belt, Ryan detailed the stomach issues that have plagued him since recurring staph infections wiped out his gut biome.
“I have not been able to train or lift hard since January of 2024, as I just begin dry heaving immediately when I do,” he explained.
He competed at with no camp, operating at what he described as 10% capacity, and has seen no improvement since.
Despite the frustration, Ryan emphasized his technical skills remain sharper than ever and his body is otherwise healthy at just 30 years old.
“I have so much more left to give if I could just fix this one issue,” he wrote, before stating, “For now, I can confidently say, I am done.”
However, during his appearance on the podcast just days later, Ryan struck a noticeably different tone regarding his competitive future. When asked about his return timeline, he revealed concrete plans centered around ADCC 2026.
“Right now, I’m just trying to nurse my stomach back to health and train as much as I can,” Ryan said. “I really haven’t been able to train hard or lift or train hard like super competitive rounds in like probably two years. So I’m just trying to get my stomach back to where it needs to be. And hopefully ADCC 2026 is this year.”
Ryan elaborated on his competitive strategy if his health improves:
“If I’m going to compete in that, then I’m planning to start competing like before then. Like I always like to do a lot of competitions when I ramp up to ADCC just to get whatever rust I have off. So if my stomach is able to do that, then that would be my plans.”
The apparent contradiction between his retirement post and podcast comments highlights the uncertainty surrounding his condition. In his Instagram announcement, Ryan mentioned possibly returning pending his health and assessment of relative physical skills at the time, specifically expressing hope for two matches with and a last dance with .
During the podcast, Ryan also discussed his current training regimen.
“I’m still on the mats almost every day, but not able to do what my mind tells my body,” he explained.
He detailed his philosophy of one hard round daily with a high-level training partner, while spending other rounds working defensive positions with lower belts.
The opening of headquarters has also shifted his focus. Ryan stated he will spend the next few years building the gym to student capacity, opening a global affiliation program, and helping athletes achieve their goals while sharing his knowledge.
When pressed about ADCC 2026 specifically, Ryan confirmed:
“We’ll see how my stomach is. If my stomach is able to do that, then that would be my plans.”
He acknowledged the timeline creates additional complexity, noting that if he competes at ADCC, he would need to start competing beforehand to shake off any accumulated rust.
Ryan also identified as the closest competitor to his throne, praising both his technical skills and tactical abilities.
“I think the next 10 years it will be a battle between mostly Americans and Russians,” he predicted regarding the sport’s competitive landscape.
