Gordon Ryan recently decided to let his fans have an inside look into his road to recovery, as he shared an update on his current health situation. It was the first video on a new YouTube channel that the superstar grappler has started, and he also filmed himself attempting a light workout as well. He’s been absent from BJJ competition for quite some time now and in fact, he’s only managed to make it to the mats for two matches since he won the superfight championship at ADCC 2022. He made history at that event of course, by becoming the first person in history to win that title while also taking home a gold medal from one of the regular weight classes.
He finished out that year strong by beating Nicky Rodriguez in a tough match at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 3 and although he had more matches lined up, disaster struck almost immediately afterward. He was set to compete in a grudge match against Felipe Pena but just a matter of days before it took place he had to withdraw. He was hit with an illness that prevented him from training and he wasn’t able to compete, so he was replaced by Rodriguez at the last minute. Although it appeared as though that might have been a temporary situation at first, the time away from competition extended further as he underwent surgery and took more time to recover.
After almost an entire year away from competition, Ryan returned to defend his WNO heavyweight title against Patrick Gaudio at WNO 20: Night of Champions. It was another flawless performance from Ryan and it looked as though he was gearing up for a big finish to 2023 as more matches were announced, only for him to suffer a rib injury in training and cancel all of them. That was another short layoff that ended up going on for much longer than expected, as he revealed that his old stomach issues had resurfaced and he was not going to compete at any event other than ADCC 2024.
Now in the most recent health update, Gordon Ryan explains what the beginning of 2024 has looked like for him:
“I’ve been basically bed-ridden for the last two months, I haven’t been able to do anything. 10 days / 12 days where I wasn’t able to eat anything and I haven’t been able to train Jiu-Jitsu. I haven’t been able to lift. Every time I get my heart rate up and that valve relaxes and my stomach moves around, I get nauseous so I just have been completely and utterly useless… I haven’t been training, I haven’t been able to leave the house basically. You know I have good days and bad days but to go and even try to do Jiu-Jitsu, I can’t even think about it and it’s very sad.”
In fact, the only time that Ryan has been seen anywhere near mats lately has been when he’s been acting as an instructor in seminars. Just from sight alone, it’s clear in the video update that his health issues have taken a toll as Gordon Ryan has lost a fair amount of weight since he was last in competition. He explained that his weight does fluctuate a little, but demonstrated just how low it’s dropped recently:
“When I’m doing Jiu-Jitsu twice a day, regardless of anything if my stomach is good or if my stomach is bad, I don’t really get over 230lbs. I never really sink below 220lbs unless I’m having like a major stomach issue. I’m currently right now 208.4lbs.”
Ryan then goes on to attempt a light workout without too much weight loaded and it’s clear that his stomach is causing him issues, so he made the following comments on how he feels lifting weights right now:
“John always likes to say when he’s teaching, he says ’embarrassingly easy’. I’m embarrassingly weak right now, it’s just pathetic.”
Gordon Ryan shared the update on his health in a recent video that was uploaded to his official YouTube channel:
