Gordon Ryan has stirred up controversy throughout his rise in the Jiu-jitsu scene. Love him or hate him, Ryan has attracted attention to BJJ with his outspoken online presence and dominant performance on the mat.
At one point, Ryan claimed that his team was the cleanest in terms of PEDs compared to their opponents. However, that talking point has since been abandoned.
Ryan’s physical appearance has noticeably changed over time, leading to accusations of PED use, which he has tacitly admitted. Unlike many BJJ competitors, Ryan doesn’t deny his use of PEDs, a rarity in the sport where athletes often present themselves as aspirational figures and attribute their impressive physique to divine power.
During a recent appearance on the TJ Desantis/Bruce Buffer podcast, Ryan addressed some thought-provoking questions.
Buffer asked Ryan, “Do you think the grappling world would change significantly if USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) entered the scene?”
Ryan responded, “If USADA were to step into events like fight pass, for example, it would ruin those events. The reason is that if you’re competing in a fight pass event and getting randomly tested, you would be the only person in the sport undergoing testing. Meanwhile, competitors in organizations like flograppling or one championship wouldn’t be tested. So, you would have to compete naturally while others in the sport could be on PEDs.”
“This would put you at a significant disadvantage without any real reason or compensation, especially if you’re an exclusive athlete who wouldn’t compete in other events anyway.”
Ryan further expressed that even if testing became mandatory, there would still be attempts to evade it. In the world of BJJ, only a small number of competitors could afford the necessary resources to bypass the tests:
“I’m the only person in the sport who could actually afford a team of doctors to beat the tests. So while everyone else would compete naturally, I could still compete with enhancements if I chose to, simply because I have the financial means to assemble a team of doctors. Therefore, the idea of bringing in USADA doesn’t make sense.”
