Nicky Ryan and Ethan Crelinsten have been promoted to black belt by John Danaher.
It’s been expected that both grapplers would be promoted eventually, as they have been training with elite Danaher Death Squad teammates for years and showing well in various promotions. Gordon Ryan, older brother of Nicky, made the announcement today on social media.
The pace of promotion for Nicky Ryan has been swift, as he was promoted to brown belt just over a year ago, and purple belt in 2017 as a minor. But his results on the mat speak for themselves. Ryan competed in the ADCC trials in 2019, and proved his worth there. We recently saw Nicky Ryan compete in Who’s Number One, defeating Tony Ramos via heel hook in a special “wrestling vs. jiu-jitsu” matchup.
Ethan Crelinsten has been called the “World’s Toughest Brown Belt“. He recently defeated PJ Barch at SUG 17. The phenom trains at both Renzo Gracie in New York and at Tristar Academy in Montreal with the likes of Firas Zahabi. No doubt working with two world-class coaches has affected his game positively.
In his post, Gordon Ryan stated “I finally don’t have to feel so bad”, adding “These guys have transformed over the last few years, from tough kids to legitimate world beaters. ”
Both grapplers showed off their new belts and displayed knives, customary gifts from John Danaher to his students for important milestones.
Congratulations to both Nicky Ryan and Ethan Crelinsten on their black belt promotions. We will be watching your next steps as you continue your grappling development.
