Gordon Ryan asks for four back-to-back matches at Who’s Number One

It would appear that Gordon Ryan is ready to fully return to elite competition.

On Friday, after a year away from official competition, Ryan returned to the Who’s Number One (WNO) stage where he thoroughly dominated top Daisy Fresh brown belt Jacob “The Hillbilly Hammer” Couch. Shortly after the match, in typical Gordon Ryan fashion, he took to social media to call out potential opponents.

Rather than just one opponent — or even just one opponent per event — Ryan asked to face four opponents back-to-back at a single event. Last year, Ryan took an indefinite leave of absence from competition, citing ongoing health and stomach issues. He includes the caveat here that this plan is “pending my next doctor’s call.”

The four opponents that Ryan called out are 2019 no-gi absolute world champion Victor Hugo, current WNO heavyweight champion Tim Spriggs, European Open champion Patrick Gaudio, and current WNO light heavyweight champion Pedro Marinho.

For his part, Spriggs has been vocal about his desire to face Ryan. On Friday from the commentary desk, Spriggs explained why he wasn’t impressed by Ryan’s victory over Couch. Ryan currently holds a 2019 submission win over Spriggs.

While Ryan may be serious about wanting to face four world class opponents in the same night, it’s highly unlikely any sort of scenario would ever take place. With that said, fans of Ryan are certainly happy to see him back on the mats and back on social media calling out any and all possible opponents.

Ben Coate

Ben has been involved with grappling, whether through wrestling or Brazilian jiu-jitsu, essentially his entire life. After wrestling throughout his childhood, Ben found Brazilian jiu-jitsu as a young adult and quickly fell in love. He has been training for over ten years and holds the rank of black belt, and remains involved in both the MMA and BJJ scene. Ben has been writing about combat sports since 2017. He has interviewed and profiled some of MMA's biggest stars, including multiple UFC champions.

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