Gordon Ryan claims to have over 1,000 competition matches

Multiple-time ADCC champion Gordon Ryan claims to have competed in over 1,000 matches over the course of 13 years.

Reigning ADCC heavyweight and superfight champion Gordon Ryan is undeniably one of the best – if not the best – no-gi competitors the sport has ever seen.

Currently riding an unmatched, years-long winning streak that’s seen him assert his dominance across multiple weight classes, the 28-year-old has little left to accomplish in his career.

However, health issues and illnesses have kept him out of regular action for much of the past few years. Despite taking multiple leaves of absence from competition, Ryan recently asserted that he’s had more than 1,000 competition matches.

He made the claim on Instagram in response to a critical comment.

If what Ryan alleges is true, that incredible amount of experience would explain some of the success he’s seen at the highest levels of the sport.

However, the claim of over 1,000 matches seems a bit far-fetched after diving into the numbers.

According to BJJ Heroes, the New Jersey native has competed in 104 matches since receiving his black belt in early 2016. Ryan says he’s had over 13 years of competition, so that means he would have started competing in BJJ around 2010 or 2011.

In order to meet the 1,000-match mark, Ryan would have needed to compete in at least 896 matches prior to receiving his black belt. If he did in fact compete that many times, he would have had roughly 160 matches every single year between 2010 and 2016 – averaging at least three matches every week of the year.

Again, if Ryan’s claim is true, it marks an incredible feat of dedication that is reflected in his unparalleled success as a black belt.

But if he’s bending the truth, it wouldn’t be the first time he’s inflated his accomplishments. 

Ryan used to claim that he had defeated more ADCC medalists than any other athlete in history – something that is demonstrably untrue.