Royce Gracie and Joe Rogan have been around the sport of jiu-jitsu from the early days, so they have a unique perspective on the current dominance of Gordon Ryan. In a recent conversation, the two discussed Ryan’s achievements and the key factors behind his success.
Both Gracie and Rogan expressed immense respect for Ryan’s talent and work ethic. They noted how he simply outworks everyone else through his incredible discipline of training 365 days a year, never taking a day off. As Rogan stated, “Gordon always says, my jiu-jitsu is 10 years advanced of everybody. I could show you everything I’m doing. It doesn’t matter. You’re not gonna catch me.”
Gracie recalled rolling with Ryan and being amazed at his technique and movement, saying “I was giving him openings and he wouldn’t take them out of respect.” He praised Ryan’s ability to use leverage and body positioning rather than sheer strength.
“It wasn’t too long ago. Maybe I’m a year ago or less than a year ago. And the guy’s a beast man.”
“So he’s very respectful. We’re going very light, and he’s going easy on me. And I was like, okay, go ahead, catch me.”
“And he wouldn’t, really. And he turned around and I can feel him giving to me. It’s like, No. You take me without talking.”
“There’s no way I can tap him. And I’m okay. And I give it to him back something, and he’s, like, pretend he doesn’t see anything. That’s the point that I start laughing.”
They discussed Ryan’s lineage, coming from John Danaher’s academy which has its roots tracing back to the Gracie family themselves. Rogan commented on the high level of talent at that academy and others like it, with iron sharpening iron as the elite compete with each other daily.
While impressed by Ryan’s jiu-jitsu prowess, Gracie and Rogan also emphasized the value of his mentality and approach. The philosophy of “kaizen” – constantly perfecting one specific thing over and over – has allowed Ryan to amass years and years of extra mat time over his competitors. As Rogan stated, “If you work out 5 days a week, but I work out 7 days a week, in a year I’ve worked out way more times than you.”
In the end, both men agreed that Gordon Ryan is the ideal example of how far dedication and hard work over many years can take an incredibly talented individual in the sport of jiu-jitsu. His dominance today did not happen by accident.
