Nicky Ryan has just announced that he plans on making a return competition in 2026, around two years since he was last seen in action. Ryan has had a very unusual career to say the least, starting with his rise to fame when he was still a young teenager. There was always going to be attention on him as the younger brother of Gordon Ryan but he was an exceptional competitor, winning a bronze medal at ADCC Trials in 2016 when he was just 15 years old. He made his ADCC debut the following year and returned for another attempt at the world’s most prestigious no gi grappling tournament before he even hit 20.
All signs pointed toward an imminent rise to the top of the sport, but Ryan’s competitive career was derailed shortly afterward when he suffered a devastating knee injury in a match against Dante Leon. Although that was a very public challenge that he faced, Ryan has been plagued by injuries in training ever since. This has severely limited his competition appearances and even though Ryan is still one of the biggest names in the sport, he’s been unable to build momentum or win any major titles during his 20s. The last time he was even able to compete was at the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational; which he competed in while he was still dealing with his latest knee injury.
Since then Ryan has taken on more of a coaching role at Simple Man Martial Arts and although he’s been able to guide the team to success, he hasn’t been able to lead from the front. In fact, Ryan has been open about contemplating retirement in the face of his recent knee surgery. Now in a recent update, Ryan shared some positive news about his rehabilitation and explained what it means for his competitive career:
“We’re getting there thanks to Dr. Danny Spaulding. They are getting there. Back to training pretty hard again so hopefully in return to [competition] in 2026.”
It looks like it’s still a little early for Ryan to be booking matches, but he does have a timeline in mind for his comeback:
”Mid to late 2026.”
Nicky Ryan announced his plans for a return to competition in 2026 in a recent Q & A posted to his official Instagram account:
