Gordon Ryan, the self-proclaimed king of grappling and perhaps the most controversial figure in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, is back in the spotlight—this time not for breaking limbs on the mat, but for breaking the internet with his latest jab at basketball. In a now-viral social media comment, Ryan shared a clip of LeBron James collapsing dramatically during an NBA game, captioned bluntly:
“What a gay sport this is.”
While James was back on his feet and playing minutes later, the internet didn’t miss a beat in mocking the incident. Comments poured in comparing LeBron’s theatrics to acting auditions, with some even joking he was “performing WAP” or “auditioning for the next Marvel movie.” But while most of the audience joined in to ridicule LeBron’s flop, Ryan’s caption lit a different kind of fire.
Let’s be honest—within the hyper-masculine world of combat sports, jiu-jitsu has always faced claims of being “gay,” mostly because it involves close contact grappling, often between two sweaty men in skin-tight rashguards. Even Joe Rogan, a black belt himself, once found himself goaded into repeatedly submitting comedian Shane Gillis, who provoked him with the phrase:
“You can’t tap me, dude. Jiu-Jitsu’s gay.”
And it’s not just a Western joke. UFC contender Manel Kape recently confessed in a candid interview with Demetrious Johnson that he once believed Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was a “very gay style,” until training partners changed his mind. It’s a persistent stigma, even as the sport tries to professionalize and gain wider mainstream acceptance.
Ironically, Ryan belongs to the very sport that has often been mocked for its “gay” optics. Yet here he is, flipping the insult on a billion-dollar league, targeting one of its most iconic players. It’s almost poetic. Jiu-jitsu gets clowned for the way it looks. Basketball, apparently, gets clowned for the way it feels.
Let’s not forget Craig Jones’ attempt to reclaim the narrative—his team famously sold “Keep Jiu-Jitsu Gay” t-shirts in rainbow colors, poking at the fragile egos that often dominate the mats. Ryan, on the other hand, has never been one to play nice or toe the progressive line. His earlier claim that he was “carrying American sport on his back” was met with mockery after Google Trends revealed his name barely registered compared to WNBA players, let alone NBA stars.
But the essence of Ryan’s post wasn’t really about Lebron. It was about softness—perceived or otherwise. And softness, in his world, is unforgivable.
While basketball continues to draw massive global audiences and billion-dollar sponsorships, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is still struggling for mainstream legitimacy. It’s a weird look to punch upward at someone who has already conquered the summit while your own sport is still trying to climb out of the basement. But that’s Gordon Ryan in a nutshell—brazen, polarizing, and unbothered by optics.
Whether you agree with him or not, he’s forcing people to talk. And maybe, just maybe, that’s the whole point.
