Andrew Tackett sat down with the Mighty Cast and raised a question: could Gordon Ryan, competing at around 200 lbs (90.7 kg), actually defeat Mikey Musumeci, who competes at 135 lbs (61.2 kg), in a match where leg locks are on the table?
The topic came up naturally during a conversation about Musumeci’s upcoming match with Bryce Mitchell and the general sentiment that the jiu-jitsu world underestimates just how technically refined Musumeci is.
Tackett, who has trained alongside Musumeci for the past year, offered a perspective that carries genuine weight given how closely he has studied his teammate’s game.
“Sometimes I don’t think people realize how good Mikey is,” host Demetrious Johnson said.
Tackett replied by saying, “I’ve trained with that man for a year now and I just finally figured out his game to where he’s not submitting me every train session.”
When the conversation turned to Arman Tsarukyan potentially facing Musumeci, Tackett was blunt about how leg locks change everything.
“If there’s leg locks, there’s no possible way Arman’s winning. If there’s leg locks, there’s no way anyone’s winning.”
Then he went further, pulling Gordon Ryan into the equation.
“I don’t even know if Gordon Ryan could beat Mikey if there’s legs.”
According to Johnson, Ryan has already acknowledged this himself.
“Gordon Ryan said he couldn’t,” he said.
Andrew replied by expressing, “How do you pass that guard?”
The implication being that even the man widely considered the top no-gi competitor in the world, who carries a significant size and weight advantage over Musumeci, recognizes that navigating Musumeci’s guard with leg locks in play is a near-unsolvable problem.
Tackett pushed the thought to its logical end when trying to describe what beating Musumeci would even require.
“I feel like the only way you can beat Mikey is if you just like headbutt him 30 times, you know, and just make it as mean as possible,” he stated. “But good luck. He’s good at avoiding that, too.”
Musumeci’s leg lock system is so advanced and his guard so difficult to navigate that even a 65 lb (29.5 kg) size advantage may not be enough to tip the scales in Ryan’s favor under those conditions.
Tackett also weighed in on the proposed Musumeci versus Mitchell match, suggesting that even without leg locks and with guard pulling removed, Musumeci still holds the advantage.
“I still think Mikey has a better chance. He’s good everywhere.”
