Gordon Ryan, widely regarded as the greatest no-gi submission grappler of his generation, sat down with Tim Kennedy on Overdogs USA podcast and raised a concern that cuts to the heart of competitive jiu-jitsu’s future. Despite the sport reaching new commercial heights, Ryan believes the absence of transcendent male stars could signal a troubling shift.
“My personal opinion is that jiu-jitsu could potentially be headed back to the dark ages,” Ryan said. “I think ADCC is going to be a good test of that this year.”
The 2026 ADCC World Championships are set for Kraków, Poland, where organizers have secured a 22,000-person arena. Ryan acknowledged the ambition but made clear he would have preferred Las Vegas, where previous events sold out T-Mobile Arena and the Thomas & Mack Center. Whether Kraków can match that energy remains an open question.
The male star problem is one Ryan takes seriously. He named Nicholas Meregali as the athlete most capable of carrying the heavier weight classes, provided he can get healthy after a stretch of injuries to his shoulder, elbow, and knee.
“Everyone just judges him based on his last ADCC performance because he got hurt,” Ryan said. “But they don’t remember the fact that he submitted [Felipe] Pena, he submitted Kaynan [Duarte], and he submitted [Rudson] Mateus. Like three monsters, like very well decorated ADCC champions before that with ease.”
At lighter weights, Mikey Musumeci holds the most visibility, serving as the face of UFC’s grappling division while carrying a lengthy unbeaten run.
The standout Ryan points to with the clearest conviction is his own teammate Helena Crevar, who competes at over 132 lbs (60+ kg). He described her recent submission streak as staggering, noting that all of her matches across a recent stretch had ended by submission.
She finished as the youngest medalist in ADCC history the previous year and, in Ryan’s view, is positioned to claim the title outright in 2025.
Looking further out, Ryan pointed to a potential realignment of the sport’s competitive landscape.
“I’m very interested to see what it will be like when the Russians start getting involved because that’s going to be a problem for everybody,” he said.
