It seems like Gordon Ryan may finally be putting on a gi and making the transition to competing in the more traditional version of BJJ, or at least that’s what the signs point towards. Ryan recently posted on his official Instagram account that he was taking open offers from gi sponsors to get involved in “the biggest marketing project the sport will see anytime soon” and that they would need to be able to come up with a minimum of $100,000 in order to take part in the project.
Now, it’s entirely possible that this is just marketing hyperbole and the opportunity is purely for Ryan to create his own brand or line of gis to sell to the general public. Given the extraordinarily high amount of money that he’s requested as the funding for this venture, it does seem as though this opportunity must be something more than that. It’s worth noting that Ryan recently signed a contract with ONE FC with the intention of taking a series of grappling matches in the cage, and that would likely give a big enough level of exposure to justify the large fee he’s asking for.
Given that Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida is the most successful IBJJF World Champion of all time, is already signed to ONE FC, and has recently expressed an interest in competing against Gordon Ryan for the promotion, it wouldn’t be crazy to think that this might be the match that he’s looking for a gi sponsor for. Alternatively, Ryan’s recent altercation with Andre Galvao has generated a phenomenal amount of fan interest and the infamous slapping incident could be the catalyst that draws the pair to meet on the mats, perhaps leveling the playing field by having one match with the gi and one without.
