BJJ Fanatics 170lbs Grand Prix: Gordon Ryan v Pat Downey Full Results

The BJJ Fanatics 170lbs Grand Prix was a great showcase for some elite talent in the lighter weight classes and the headline match of Gordon Ryan v Pat Downey provided a unique opportunity to see two of the best athletes in their respective disciplines cross over and test each other’s ability in both fields. For our full preview of the event, click here. Or here’s the full results for the event and a breakdown of the headline match:

BJJ Fanatics 170lbs Grand Prix

Round 1:

Oliver Taza beats PJ Barch via Inside Heelhook in Regulation

John Combs beats Matheus Gonzanga via Guillotine in Regulation.

Jonnatas Gracie beats Johnny Tama via Ride Time in Overtime.

Ethan Crelinsten beats Nick Fiore via Ride Time in Overtime.

Semi Finals:

Ethan Crelinsten beats Jonnatas Gracie via Rear Naked Choke in Overtime.

Oliver Taza submits John Combs via Inside Heel hook in Regulation.

Final:

Oliver Taza submits Ethan Crelinsten via Wristlock in Overtime.

Gordon Ryan v Pat Downey

No Time Limit Submission Only Rules

The first match was without a time limit in place and as we’ve previously discussed, if Gordon Ryan plays this smartly and breaks down Downey slowly then this could definitely lead to a solid advantage for him in the second match. Ryan was relatively comfortable on the feet against Downey and looked like he was in no rush to take the match to the ground at all. He also seemed to be avoiding using leg attacks as he didn’t sit to Butterfly guard once.

Downey managed to get Ryan’s hands to the mat a few times but was unable to really capitalize on it and control his opponent before he stood back up. He also tried a few foot sweeps and had some decent arm drag attempts but didn’t commit fully on any of them. The second time that Downey was able to get Ryan to the mat solidly, Ryan opted to stay down and play guard instead. He started working on a leg entanglement and used it to off-balance Downey and start taking his back instead.

The end sequence is in the video below and interestingly, Ryan actually scored a takedown on Downey as he started to take his back on the mat and Downey stood to avoid it. When the match returned to the ground it really didn’t take long for Ryan to start controlling Downey and putting the pressure on. He locked up a Three-Quarter Nelson in order to keep Downey in place but the pair went out of bounds and were reset. When they were reset with Downey in turtle, Ryan quickly switched to a Body Triangle for control and as Downey stood up, Ryan would use the Three-Quarter Nelson control to drive him back to the mat.

After they hit the mat, Downey decided to tap out despite no submission being in place. Both Ryan and the actual referee seemed to ignore the tap at first, most likely due to the apparent lack of danger, but after Downey was more vocal and threw his mouthguard out, the match was stopped. Gordon Ryan took the win by submission, if you can really call it that.

Traditional Wrestling Rules

This match really didn’t last long at all as Downey racked up 11 points inside of a minute. He started with a throw from back control for four points before pushing Ryan out of bounds for another point. He then quickly scored three two-point rolls all within a second or two to finish the match.

Conclusion

Just as everyone expected, the No Gi grappler took the win under his ruleset and the NCAA Wrestler took the win under his ruleset. The only thing we really learnt from this match was that Gordon does actually have solid wrestling for BJJ. Under wrestling rules, he looked like a fish out of water but with the points for Roll-Throughs and throws with no control not in place, he can hold his own against some of the best wrestlers around. The first match was something of a disappointment as Downey tapped out due to back control, but the logical conclusion from that is that Downey could feel himself starting to gas out and rather than come into the wrestling match at a disadvantage, chose to save his energy for the round he knew he would win.

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