What started as a social media challenge has turned into a formal proposal, and the terms are now on record.
Gordon Ryan put a structured counter-offer directly in front of Kron Gracie this week, after Gracie’s callout of Ryan gained traction across jiu-jitsu social media. The exchange is technically between Ryan and Gracie, but the real subject of the ongoing dispute has always been John Danaher.
Gracie’s original challenge carried a condition that had nothing to do with weight classes or rules. He insisted Danaher could not be present for any match, framing the demand around his belief that Ryan operates entirely under his coach’s direction.
“Don’t be a big ol p**sy, do a match if your belly ain’t hurting. I recommend stay off the juice so it don’t pop @gordonlovesjiujitsu no time, and Danaher can’t be there to see if you are capable alone,” Gracie wrote in the version that remained posted.
The underlying argument is one Gracie has been building for weeks. His position is that Danaher is a gifted theorist whose knowledge does not translate into personal ability on the mat.
To reinforce that point, Gracie recently resurfaced an old clip of Craig Jones describing Danaher’s habit of shouting instructions at athletes during live rolling, including theatrical phrases such as “super royale.” In the context of the dispute, the clip was clearly aimed at raising questions about how much of Ryan’s success belongs to Ryan personally.
Ryan’s initial response was brief and dismissive: “We can do a match anytime. I don’t even need to train for it.”
He was not alone in that direction. Garry Tonon and Big Dan Manisoiu both posted their own responses aimed at Gracie, widening the circle around the original callout.
Then Ryan came back with something more detailed. Posting directly to Gracie’s social media using his handle @riokid, Ryan laid out specific financial terms.
“We can do this at a neutral gym. No time limit, sub only. Except, you’re not making any money off my name unless it comes from my pockets. Put up any amount of money and I’ll put up double. We can transfer the money into a 3rd party account and the winner can take all. When you lose, you will not only not make any money, but lose any amount you put up. Waiting for confirmation on this post and we can figure out logistics. Should be an easy match for you considering I haven’t been able to train since January 2024 and all I know is bullshit jiu jitsu taught by Danaher! Let me know.”
The proposal also addressed performance testing, with Ryan extending an open invitation while keeping the conditions symmetric.
“I’m also willing to partake in any d**g testing you’d like me to. So long as you take part in the same exact testing. I will compete natural and you can use whatever roids you want, so long as the public is aware.”
The closing line of Ryan’s post introduced a second name. “When you inevitably bitch out and don’t accept this, maybe you can grapple or compete @garrytonon. Either way, let me know!”
By naming Tonon as a fallback option, Ryan states that Gracie can either accept the terms or face one of the most accomplished submission grapplers in the world who just so happens to be Ryan’s own training partner.
Gracie’s reply was two words: “Waiting for a contract.”
The structure Ryan outlined, a neutral gym, third-party escrow, no time limit, is technically possible without a major promotion behind it. Whether either party is prepared to build that infrastructure independently is a different question, and no organizational home has been confirmed for this matchup.
Ryan submitted Ralek Gracie at Metamoris, and Ralek entered that match carrying a considerable size advantage over Kron. Ryan is now willing to double whatever Gracie puts up, while noting he has been away from training since January 2024.
