Philip Rowe Gives Gordon Ryan Custom Boombox Ahead of WNO Match

Gordon Ryan is one of jiu-jitsu’s most aggressive trash talkers; it’s not uncommon to see a fair amount of bad blood between him and his opponents in the lead up to a match. That’s certainly not the case with Philip Rowe, who Ryan will face on Wednesday in an “exhibition” match at Who’s Number One (WNO).

On Tuesday, Rowe gifted Ryan a custom-made boombox to honor Ryan’s recently-passed father, the man simply known as “Big Gord.”

There aren’t too many times in my life I’m left speechless, but receiving this @bumpboxx from @phillyfreshufc definitely left me speechless and definitely almost made me cry on camera 😂. Hands down top 5 gifts I’ve gotten in my life. Excited to give the fans a show tonight on @flograppling

A steady fixture at major competitions over the past several years, “Big Gord” was a constant supporter of his sons Nicky and Gordon — two of the best no-gi competitors in the world. The custom boom box shows images of “Big Gord” laid over a background image of Ryan having his hand raised.

Gordon Ryan will face Rowe in a special 15-minute exhibition match in the main event of Wednesday’s WNO. The match will be contested under the regular WNO submission-only ruleset, but similar to a roll in the gym, once a submission happens, the pair will simply re-start on their feet and repeat that process as many times as needed over 15 minutes.

Rowe is currently signed as a UFC welterweight fighter and sports a professional MMA record of 8-3. He has recently tried his hand at competitive grappling, losing to Gabriel Checco at Submission Underground and Kody Steele at WNO.

How to watch: WNO: The Return of Gordon Ryan takes place on Wednesday, October 20 and will air live on FloGrappling (subscription required).

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 currently holds the rank of brown 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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