Gordon Ryan Announces Indefinite Leave of Absence from Competition
The grappling world was rocked on Thursday night when current top no-gi grappler Gordon Ryan announced his indefinite leave of absence from competition, citing health concerns. In a long Instagram post, Ryan explained that his ongoing stomach issues have prompted him to pull out of all competition through November, and will remain on the sidelines until his health is under control.
“Effective immediately, I will be taking a leave of absence from competition. My stomach is at a point now where I can’t train properly. It was always an issue, but it’s been progressively getting worse as time goes on,” Ryan wrote.
Importantly, Ryan isn’t closing the door entirely on his competition career. Rather, his future as an athlete is currently “uncertain.” It’s worth noting that in late 2019, Ryan announced a retirement which he reversed on months later.
Also of note, Ryan has revealed that he had signed a contract to face top heavyweight competitor Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu at some point this year; that would have been undeniably one of the biggest matches in grappling.
Gordon Ryan was scheduled to face Luiz Panza at Who’s Number One on May 28, and was slated to face MMA fighter Shinya Aoki in his grappling debut for ONE Championship. Both of those matches are now cancelled.
