‘I’m not sure when I’ll be competing again’ – Health issues sideline Gordon Ryan
Gordon Ryan says a variety of health complications have and will continue to keep him out of competition for the next few months.
Gordon Ryan hasn’t competed since a December 2022 victory over former teammate Nick Rodriguez, and he now says a myriad of health issues will keep him out of action for the foreseeable future.
In a recent Instagram post, the multiple-time ADCC gold medalist explained that he recently contracted strep throat and spent over 40 days taking antibiotics attempting to treat the infection.
Ryan also notes that the gastrointestinal problems that forced him out of competition for much of 2021 have once again flared up and will need to be addressed before he’s back in action.
Finally, he explains that he underwent a tonsillectomy and septoplasty.
Importantly, Ryan concludes by saying that he hopes to return to competition “in the next few months.”
“Hi everyone- quick update for everyone who has been asking. I’m not sure when I’ll be competing again. When I got back from my Abu Dhabi trip I came down with a severe case of strep throat which ended with me in the hospital because my throat swelled shut. Doctors also couldn’t figure out how to cure it since no one ever fails penicillin for a strep infection. In all, I did 7 days of amoxicillin and within a day my throat was back to square one. Then, I did 10 days of penicillin and within 2 days off I was in the hospital with my throat swollen shut. In the hospital, they gave me a shot of penicillin and another 10 days of penicillin, which i failed. Then I switched to 14 days of clindamycin, which worked. So all in I was on over 40 days of antibiotics straight plus a shot of penicillin. During this time I was contagious and everyone were in big camps so I couldn’t even go to training in fear I would infect them as well. In addition, my ears were in so much pain from my throat that I couldn’t elevate my heart rate at all without having them want to explode and getting a pounding headache. So I’ve been completely inactive for a longer time than I ever have since I started training. As expected, my stomach has relapsed pretty bad and my nausea and lack of appetite have re-appeared, so I’ll need to deal with that, but first I’m headed into surgery today for a tonsillectomy and to fix my severely deviated septum. Just wanted to update everyone on what my competition schedule looks like. I’m hoping to be back in the next few months.”
This isn’t the first time this year that health issues have kept Ryan off the mats.
In February, he was slated to face rival Felipe Pena in a highly anticipated fourth match at Who’s Number One, but withdrew just days before that event, citing a stomach virus. Ryan was replaced by Nick Rodriguez, who would go on to drop a narrow decision to Pena.
