Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion Kaynan Duarte recently shared his thoughts on how Gordon Ryan would fare if he decided to compete in gi competitions, suggesting the no-gi dominant athlete would adapt well to the traditional format.
When asked whether Ryan would perform well at the World Championship in the gi, Duarte expressed confidence in the American’s abilities.
Duarte acknowledged that certain stylistic matchups could present challenges for Ryan in gi competition. He specifically mentioned the lapel game as a potential area of difficulty, citing other larger competitors who might pose problems with their grip-heavy approaches.
“If the game changes a bit, maybe he would have trouble with someone who uses lapels, right? ”
“Maybe he would have some difficulty, but he would do well,”
Duarte told Raphaella Amorim.
Despite these potential challenges, the Brazilian remained optimistic about Ryan‘s prospects in gi competition.
“I think he would beat some big names. He could even win the World Championship,”
he said, suggesting that Ryan could defeat several top competitors and potentially even claim a world title.
However, Duarte emphasized that success would require dedicated preparation.
“But he would have to spend more time training, right? Because it’s different,”
he pointed out, highlighting how gi training differs from no-gi preparation.
Duarte‘s analysis reflects the respect many in the jiu-jitsu community have for Ryan‘s technical abilities even as the sport continues to evolve with distinct no-gi and gi specializations. While Ryan has dominated the no-gi scene in recent years, Duarte‘s comments suggest that the American’s skills would translate effectively to traditional gi competition with proper preparation.
