In a recent interview on the JAXXON podcast, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu icon Royce Gracie shared his perspective on the current crop of grapplers. He talked about Gordon Ryan and emphasized that the acclaimed Jiu Jitsu specialist might be misunderstood.
Gracie is a Hall of Famer renowned for his groundbreaking performance at UFC I. In the tournament, he defeated opponents like Art Jimmerson, Ken Shamrock, and Gerard Gourdeau.
Gracie expressed his admiration for Ryan, highlighting that he constantly challenges himself to validate his greatness. According to Gracie, Ryan’s actions are often misconstrued and driven by a desire for self-improvement rather than a quest to embarrass his peers.
He said: “Gordon ‘s [Ryan] awesome, man…People misunderstand him…He ‘s pushing himself. So you kk say you’re good, he call you out…And he’ll call you out, embarrass you if you don ‘t accept. So, he’s challenging himself. He’s not doing it to embarrass you. If you don ‘t say a word, he don ‘t mention you…lfyou say, ‘No, I’m the best upcoming fighter’, he ‘s gonna [be] knocking on your door. ..So it reminds me of my family. ”
It’s evident that Gracie loves and respects Ryan, so it will be fascinating to see how Ryan reacts. The UFC Hall of Famer’s remarks are unquestionably a major endorsement of Gordon Ryan’s skills.
Looking into his past glories, Royce Gracie recently talked about his historic submission win over Ken Shamrock at UFC I. Gracie said that the match would decide who would go on to the tournament’s next round.
The three-time UFC tournament winner disclosed what happened when Shamrock objected to the submission defeat. He declared: “I got him [Ken Shamrock] in a choke. As soon as I let go, he grabbed my leg, tried to continue. That’s when I whisper in his ear… ‘Hey, I know you tapped. ‘ Called him a couple names, You know you tapped. I know you tapped. Everybody knows you tapped. ‘…He realized that I was the boss, I’m gonna choke him out, put him unconscious.”
Gracie and Shamrock developed a fierce rivalry over their iconic careers. In 2003, they were both the first people ever inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame due to their achievements and services to the organization and mixed martial arts in general.
