Gordon Ryan snipes at Tye Ruotolo after close match with Jozef Chen

John Davis

Submission grappling superstar Gordon Ryan has taken aim at fellow BJJ star Tye Ruotolo following Ruotolo’s close match against Jozef Chen at ONE FN23.

Ruotolo, known as one of the most promising talents in the Brazilian jiu-jitsu community, had previously expressed interest in facing Ryan in a no-gi match. However, Ryan did not seem impressed by Ruotolo’s recent performance against the 19-year-old Chen, who is another supremely talented grappler in his own right.

Ryan appeared amused by the challenging match between Ruotolo and Chen, scoffing at the Hawaiian’s eagerness to step onto the tatami with him. This exchange comes amid ongoing discussions surrounding the use of PEDs in the sport of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

The Ruotolo brothers, Tye and Kade, have been vocal about their commitment to the “natural way” and their pride in representing clean athletes. In a previous statement, Kade Ruotolo claimed that if Ryan were to compete against Tye without the use of PEDs, the match would be “effortless” for Tye, suggesting that Ryan’s success is largely due to his size, which is allegedly aided by the use of banned PEDs.

In response, Ryan has dismissed the Ruotolos’ claims, questioning the feasibility of implementing widespread PED testing in Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitions due to the financial challenges involved. He has also fired shots at the Ruotolos’ longtime mentor, Andre Galvao, further fueling the ongoing debate surrounding the issue.

Meanwhile Ruotolo and Chen are likely to square off again in August in the inaugural Craig Jones Invititaional set for August 16th and 17th.

John Davis