Gordon Ryan has publicly refuted allegations made by Craig Jones suggesting that coach John Danaher aided fugitive Izaak Michell in evading authorities.
Ryan swiftly responded via Instagram story, dismissing Jones’s claims as fabricated.
“And for his next () induced, spiraling, imaginary story, crooked Creg will start attacking John Danaher, blaming him for helping him escape while in the country,”
He added that Michell “contacted and even wanted to talk with authorities before all decisions.”
This dispute emerged while Ryan was simultaneously addressing a separate controversy involving Andre Galvao during an appearance on the Overdogs USA podcast. When asked about recent allegations involving Galvao and claims of inappropriate conduct with a former student, Ryan had a measured stance.
He suggested that Brazilian culture, where legal standards differ, may have created problematic norms that transferred into jiu-jitsu internationally.
“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,”
“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.”
Ryan claimed such cultural differences don’t excuse inappropriate behavior in America, particularly situations involving long-term student-instructor relationships.
“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, touching her when she’s older. Uh, that’s, like, totally unacceptable in, in my, in my opinion,”
Ryan noted the rapid deterioration of Galvao’s academy empire.
“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.”
Much of the BJJ community has been engulfed in a conversation about culture, but for Ryan and Jones it has been as much about their own rivalry as anything else. In his first attempt to address the Galvao situation, Ryan focused solely on Octopus Guard sales and Jones drumming up publicity for his new instructional release.
