The jiu-jitsu community witnessed a dramatic social media showdown as Gordon Ryan seized upon news of B Team’s dissolution to unleash a public attack on his former teammates, only to disable comments when the backlash intensified.
Ryan‘s response came swiftly after Craig Jones announced that B Team would cease to exist following the Craig Jones Invitational tournament. In a lengthy Instagram post, the grappling champion didn’t hold back his satisfaction at his former team’s collapse.
“Good news, everyone! In less than a short 5 years, nearly everyone who left the greatest combat team that has ever existed to form their own team has now also left that team and almost all who left have asked to rejoin kingsway,”
Ryan wrote, referring to members returning to John Danaher‘s program.
The post revealed deep-seated resentments as Ryan painted a picture of B Team’s internal dysfunction. He criticized Jones for “romanticizing cocaine and losing constantly” while suggesting the team leader was rarely present at the gym. Ryan claimed that Jones was “traveling the world partying while the real members run the gym” and accused him of “throwing BOTH the rod boys under the bus for his own publicly perceived morality.”
Perhaps most damning was Ryan‘s focus on a video transcript where a B Team member stated:
“We’re not here to build anybody from being nothing to being subs. We’re not here to affect what you already know.”
Ryan seized on this philosophy, writing:
“All i know is that by their own admission, they give 0 f**ks about building any new talent which isnt surprising since they havent built a single decent athlete outside the guys who were our students in almost 5 years.”
The attack intensified as Ryan mocked B Team’s instability, noting that “over 50% of the initial people jumping ship” despite claims of “cutting out the poison.” He suggested a new name for the dissolving team:
“You can call yourselves team bankrupt starting the 1st week of August!”
Ryan‘s social media posts didn’t stop there. He shared additional stories featuring inflammatory graphics with overlaid text claiming Jones “hides in plain sight behind humor” and continues “taking the lions share while everyone else actually runs the gym.” One story highlighted the quote “We don’t give a f**k about anyone but us” alongside the message “no wonder why ‘b team will cease to exist.'”
The posts generated significant controversy within the jiu-jitsu community, with many viewing Ryan‘s public celebration as sour grapes.
While Ryan positioned himself as vindicated by B Team’s dissolution, his decision to publicly criticize former teammates during their transition period drew criticism from fans and other grapplers.
