According to AG, who works closely with Ryan, the difference in skill level between the two athletes on the grappling mats would be substantial.
“As fast as Jon would beat him in MMA, Gordon would beat him in jiu-jitsu, but probably faster and worse,”
AG stated.
He went on to emphasize Ryan’s technical prowess, saying
“Gordon has a thousand ways to do it. A thousand.”
AG dismissed common criticisms about Ryan’s success being solely attributed to his physical attributes.
“When people say like, what’s so good about him? People do that lazy, well, he’s big, he’s strong. Everyone’s big and strong.”
Instead, AG painted a picture of Ryan as a technical mastermind, describing him as a “supercomputer” and stating that
“Gordon’s a master at every single possible movement the human body can make.”
While Jones is widely recognized for his wrestling background and overall MMA accomplishments, AG’s comments suggest that in a pure grappling context, the skill gap would heavily favor the multiple-time ADCC champion Ryan.
The statement provides an interesting perspective on the skill differential between specialized Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners and MMA athletes, even those as accomplished as Jones, when competing in a grappling-specific ruleset.
