Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu star Gordon Ryan has publicly responded to controversial statements made by fitness influencer Wes Watson about professional martial artists.
The dispute gained attention after BJJ legend Dean Lister shared Watson’s comments on social media, prompting Ryan to issue a strong rebuttal.
Watson, who currently faces legal troubles in Miami with felony battery charges, had claimed in a widely circulated video that professional fig hters are “squares” who are “only good in the ring” and would be ineffective against individuals he described as truly “violent people.”
“The people I grew up with and went to prison with, they don’t give a [ ] about a ring,” Watson stated in the video. “They don’t give a [ ] if they have to live the rest of their life in prison. You will not beat them. They will not take a loss.”
Watson further asserted that combat sports training is “for people who never really were in [ ]” and that he has “always just handled [situations] very easily” without formal training.
Gordon Ryan, widely regarded as one of the greatest grapplers of all time, dismissed Watson’s claims as delusional.
“Imagine living in this delusion?” Ryan responded. “The people you’re talking about could make sweet love to you and you couldn’t do a thing about it. Also, you wanna see real violent people? People who know and are good at HIGH end violence? Make friends with vets, not ‘I see red bro’ cons.”
Dean Lister, a former UFC competitor and respected jiu-jitsu coach, also weighed in on the controversy, suggesting Watson’s comments were misguided.
“Anyone heard of this guy? Damn would be so easy to beat him, in less than a minute, unless he had like 4 friends or something,” Lister wrote. “Such an embarrassment that he claims to be from San Diego.”
The exchange comes at a particularly challenging time for Watson. According to recent reports, he was arrested on February 6 by the Miami Police Department, facing felony battery assault charges. This follows a previous incident in late 2024 when Watson allegedly assaulted someone at Elevation Fitness, reportedly using a weapon.
Watson, who founded Watson Fit and built a following through fitness and motivational content, has previously claimed self-defense regarding the December 2024 incident.
