Gordon Ryan says he is stepping away from competition again and this time it could be for good.
Ryan, widely regarded as one of the best grapplers of the modern era, has battled persistent health problems in recent years, limiting his competition schedule and forcing multiple retirements and extended layoffs.
On Monday, the multiple-time ADCC champion and IBJJF No-Gi world titleholder said his condition has worsened again, prompting him to put his competitive career on hold once more, with no clear horizon for a return.
In an extended Instagram post, “King” shared that he has been dealing with chronic stomach issues for years, which have kept him largely inactive on the mats. Gordon Ryan did not compete at all in 2025 and fought only a handful of times in the seasons before that.
The 30-year-old New Jersey native was last seen in action at ADCC 2024, where he secured a victory over Brazilian grappler Yuri Simões. His most recent defeat in a grappling match came in May 2018 at ACB JJ 13, where he was edged out on points by Vinny Magalhaes.
Gordon Ryan Admits Chronic Stomach Issues Have Halted Intense Training
In his post, Gordon Ryan said he has been dealing with recurring stomach issues ever since taking antibiotics for staph infections, adding that the problem has since developed into multiple complications that have weakened his immune system.
Today marks 10 years at black belt, 10 years on top of the sport, and the probable end to my competitive career. As many of you know, I’ve had this debilitating and seemingly unfixable stomach issue since recurring staph infections/antibiotics wiped out my good gut biome. Without going into too much boring detail, the problem has gone through phases of better and worse over the years, and has now morphed into a multitude of new problems, including me just getting sick or staph whenever I train hard and compromise my immune system in any way.”
“King” added that these complications have made it nearly impossible for him to train at full intensity for more than two years, and the situation appears to be worsening.
Because of these issues, I have not been able to train or lift hard since January of 2024, as I just begin dry heaving immediately when I do. I competed in ADCC with no camp, at 10% of how I should have been operating, and I have seen no improvement in my condition since.”
Gordon Ryan said that while he still trains consistently, his health issues prevent him from performing at the level he expects. He added that his priority now is fixing his gut problems, with any return to competition depending on how his health and physical condition improve.
Because of this, I believe it is best I put my focus elsewhere for now as I try to remedy my stomach, and possibly return one day, pending my health and assessment of relative physical skills at the time, as my knowledge is unmatched. For now, I can confidently say, I am done.”
“King” added that he plans to focus on expanding his gym, Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu, to develop the next generation of grappling talent. The BJJ ace still kept the possibility of a return alive, saying he hopes to get his long-awaited rematch with Vinny Magalhães, which was originally scheduled for UFC Fight Pass Invitational 3 in December 2022 before being canceled a day before the bout.
