Gordon Ryan has spent the better part of two years searching for answers to the mysterious stomach condition that derailed his career at its peak. Now, after genetic testing revealed multiple rare mutations, the 30-year-old grappling champion believes he may have finally discovered why no treatment has worked.
In a recent Instagram post, Ryan shared that a molecular biologist Ryan Rossner sequenced his DNA and identified at least five mutations that could be causing or contributing to his debilitating symptoms. Most significant among them: one copy of an overly rare Cystic Fibrosis mutation and a cluster of high risk IBD and Crohn’s mutations.
“Basically i have one copy of an extremely rare Cystic Fibrosis mutation and a cluster of high-risk IBD/Crohn’s mutations that cause massive amounts of mucus build ups in my upper Gi tract. This not only makes digestion hard, but it also allows fungi and bad bacteria to overpopulate in the upper (for me) gi tract.”
The genetic findings help explain why Ryan’s condition has proven so resistant to conventional medical treatment. According to his post, these inherent mutations combined with the extensive antibiotic use required to treat recurring staph infections created what he described as “an impossible to fix issue with just medicine.”
The stomach problems have completely prevented Ryan from training at the intensity required for elite competition.
“I have not been able to train or lift hard since January of 2024, as I just begin dry heaving immediately when I do.”
When he competed at his last appearance, Ryan estimates he was operating at just 10 percent capacity with no training camp. During a recent podcast appearance, he elaborated on his current limitations.
“I’m still on the mats almost every day, but not able to do what my mind tells my body. I really haven’t been able to train hard or lift or train hard like super competitive rounds in like probably two years.”
Despite the physical setbacks, Ryan remains mentally sharp. He maintains that his technical understanding of the sport has never been better and emphasized that aside from his stomach, his body remains healthy.
“I have so much more left to give if I could just fix this one issue.”
The genetic testing has provided Ryan with a clearer picture of what he is facing, even if current medical technology cannot yet correct the underlying mutations.
“We unfortunately don’t have the technology quite yet to fix the underlying genetic mutation that is causing all of these issues, but we should in coming years. Until then, we will work to do what we can.”
In his initial retirement announcement, Ryan stated definitively:
“For now, I can confidently say, I am done.”
However, just days later during his podcast appearance, he struck a considerably more optimistic tone about potentially competing at ADCC 2026.
“Right now, I’m just trying to nurse my stomach back to health and train as much as I can. So I’m just trying to get my stomach back to where it needs to be. And hopefully ADCC 2026 is this year.”
He outlined a potential competition strategy if his health improves sufficiently.
“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.”
For now, Ryan is focusing on building his newly opened headquarters to student capacity, developing a global affiliation program and sharing his technical knowledge with the next generation. His current training consists primarily of one hard round daily with high level partners supplemented by defensive position work with lower ranked students.
Whether the genetic insights will lead to effective treatment remains uncertain. But for the first time since his symptoms began, Ryan at least understands what he is up against.
