Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion Gordon Ryan sparked an intense online debate after claiming to have “carried the USA on my back for over a decade in professional sports.”
Ryan, widely recognized as one of the most accomplished no-gi grapplers in history, made the bold statement on social media alongside patriotic declarations about helping to “bring America back to the golden ages.” The post quickly went viral, generating hundreds of responses that ranged from supportive to highly critical.
“Thank you for your service,” commented one supporter, while numerous critics challenged Ryan’s assertion about his place in American sports.
“Bro you’re great and the best in the jiu-jitsu world bar none but we dominate in basically every sport except soccer,” wrote one commenter, reflecting a common sentiment that the United States has produced many elite athletes across various mainstream sports.
The backlash centered around two main criticisms: the relative popularity of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu compared to major American sports, and what some viewed as an exaggerated sense of self-importance.
“My brother in Christ, no one that follows real sports knows who you are. Like at all… our sport is less popular than WNBA,” commented one user, highlighting the niche status of competitive grappling despite its growing popularity.
Another pointed response read: “Imagine thinking of jiu-jitsu as one of the ‘professional sports’… no one cares about jiu-jitsu except for the people that do jiu-jitsu.”
Several commenters referenced mainstream American sports stars, suggesting that athletes like LeBron James or Patrick Mahomes have much higher profiles: “I can ask any person who knows nothing about martial arts and they won’t know who you are. It’s not like LeBron or Mahomes, where people who don’t watch the sport know who these guys are.”
In reality Ryan’s popularity doesn’t even compare to Bronny James, let alone other mainstream stars.
Ryan also frequently criticizes female sports as unprofitable and ‘subsidized’ – not even bothering to verify if he’s capable of outshining the stars.
Some users pointed to other American athletes who have excelled internationally, with one powerlifter noting: “Plenty of us American powerlifters (myself being one) have been breaking records and dominating strength sports for the last decade. Your sport isn’t the only one that exists.”
Ryan’s controversial post also attracted politically charged responses, with some applauding his patriotic stance while others criticized it.
Despite the criticism, Ryan does boast an impressive competitive record in grappling. His achievements include multiple ADCC world championships and numerous other prestigious titles that have established him as a dominant force in no-gi competition. He is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in the sport, but perhaps if his attitude was better he wouldn’t be lagging so much behind even the WNBA stars.
