Do you know that Jiu-Jitsu grapplers rake millions from their careers? For example, Gordon Ryan’s net worth is millions of dollars. In addition, he competes in multiple tournaments and global super fights.
A closer look at Gordon Ryan tells you that grappling is a lucrative career. Every drop of sweat that its competitors break in the ring has value. If you want to know more about Ryan, let us explore much about him.
Who is Gordon Ryan?
Ryan is a No-Gi grappler born on July 8, 1995. He hails from Monroe Township, New Jersey. Currently, he is the best No-Gi pound-for-pound pro-athlete. Also, he is the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) absolute/heavyweight champion. Gordon Ryan BJJ (Brazillian Jiu Jitsu) partnership cannot go unnoticed. He is an ardent provider of instructions to BJJ members.
Gordon Ryan girlfriend is Nathalia Santoro. She is a fitness model. Also, she is a BJJ bodybuilder and competitor. On Instagram, Santoro has a sea of followers from different global regions. Sometimes, she accompanies Ryan to his instructional seminars.
Santoro is a purple belt under the supervision of John Danaher. She will become a brown or black belt over time.
Ryan and Santoro kept telling people that they were brother and sister. She would say that Ryan adopted her from Brazil. However, time outlived their flirts. So, people knew that she was Ryan’s lover.
When Ryan is not competing, he conducts seminars to showcase the techniques that he developed with the help of John Danaher, his coach. His brother, Nicky Ryan, is also a Jiu-Jitsu grappler.
Is Ryan controversial? Sometimes, he does not maintain his calmness. For example, he slapped Andre Galvao in 2021. The action nearly ended in a fight. Ryan also picks up arguments with fellow BJJ athletes on social media.
What happened to Ryan in 2020? In early 2020, Ryan had allegedly retired from BJJ. He had made the claims after winning two ADCC tournaments. Afterward, he took a few weeks off to travel around the U.S. Later, and he resumed training. However, he did not specify whether he bluffed about his retirement or he changed his mind and got back in the game.
What is Gordon Ryan’s Net Worth?
In 2021, Ryan had a net worth of around $3 million. He is never shy to talk about how much he makes from his Jiu-Jitsu endeavors. Are you wondering why Ryan is open about how much he earns? He seeks to be an inspiration to upcoming athletes. He wants them to know that they can make a career out of Jiu-Jitsu.
From his confessions, Ryan asserts that one can live in the US comfortably when making around $200,000.
How does Ryan spend his money? He has a monthly rent of $5,000. He also pays $5,000 for his mortgage. His yearly bills add up to $150,000. Does he spend on fun activities? Yes. He spends around $50,000 every year for fun. He has money to buy designer cars and other luxurious stuff. Ryan also spends on taxes and investments.
Ryan admits that he can make around $200,000 from grappling in a year. He can participate in a game every month. He advises aspiring athletes to compete. He asserts that competing enables one to make more money than training competitors. This is one of the reasons that he combines motivational speaking and competing actively in Jiu-Jitsu.
To understand his point of view, making $200,000 does not place him as the highest-paid athlete. Instead, he emphasizes how Jiu-Jitsu can help one earn a decent income. Sometimes, he takes sick leaves. However, what he earns helps him to maintain his lifestyle. Better still, he is a paid instructor who cannot satisfy the market demand for his instructions.
Ryan does not earn a steady income. His winnings are different in line with the compensation levels in various tournaments. His income also includes money that he gets from marketing and sponsorship. However, his BJJ instruction gigs are one of his major sources of income. He is the best seller on the BJJ platform.
What is the marketing strategy that Ryan uses? Besides winning his fights, he likes to tell it off to the world. Sometimes, Ryan can boast online about his achievements. So, he keeps his fans interested in his persona. Also, he tries to win his fights using his latest tactics that other BJJ athletes cannot imitate.
Gordon Ryan’s Age
Gordon Ryan’s age is 26 years old. He is the firstborn in his family. Ryan has been in his career for 11 years, given that he started it when he was 15 years old.
What is Gordon Ryan’s Height?
Gordon Ryan’s height is around 74.80 inches (1.90 meters). Before he transformed physically, he was lean and tall. He is still taller than his brother, Nicky Ryan.
Gordon Ryan’s Most Memorable Fights
Gordon had lost five fights as of 2021. He lost points in four of the fights. In the fifth fight that Ryan lost, Pena used an RNC (Rear Naked Choke) to knock him out. In 2017, Pena’s win against Ryan was 6-0 during an ADCC match. Other grapplers who won against Ryan are Leandro Lo, Vinny Magalhaes, and Tex Johnson.
During the fight with Tex, Ryan claimed that the fighting rules were abnormal. What had happened? Tex’s teammate had scored a controversial point after the timer malfunctioned. So, Ryan claimed that the match lacked organization. He alleged that he could have won under normal circumstances. However, Ryan lived to beat Tex in a later match.
Ryan also cried foul during his fight with Vinny. Ryan had a deep kneel hook on Vinny. However, Vinny refused to tap and claimed that kneel hooks are obsolete techniques. Vinny encountered another kneel hook from Craig Jones and got a visible injury. It seems that Vinny used to underestimate the power of a kneel hook.
Why does Ryan never submit? He submitted once during his fight with Pena. Ryan uses guards that other grapplers find hard to pass. Also, he takes time to practice escapes and defense. Whenever he gets caught in a submission hold, he always finds a way to escape.
One of the instances when Ryan escaped was during his EBI-Rules Fight with Craig Jones. Craig had caught Ryan using an armbar. The trap almost made Ryan break. However, he fought on, escaped, and made Craig tap. After this fight, the two grapplers became a team.
Ryan still considers himself the greatest of all time (GOAT). His No-Gi accomplishments include several ADCC titles, among other wins. Gordon Ryan Jiu-Jitsu losses are rare.
However, he does not claim the GOAT title in the Gi arena. He considers Roger Gracie superior to him. Roger is an incredible grappler. However, Ryan’s lack of interest in Gi matches makes him pass the GOAT title to Roger.
In 2019, Ryan had teased the fans he wanted to compete in the Asian MMA. However, he decided to focus on No-Gi tournaments. According to his coach, John Danaher, Ryan can make more money in BJJ than BMM. Remember, Ryan makes more money than most of the UFC contestants. So, sticking to BJJ makes financial sense.
Gordon Ryan’s Weight
Gordon Ryan’s weight class is a super heavyweight. He is around 239.8 pounds (109 kilograms). Before winning a black belt, Ryan was lightweight. However, he added weight after winning a black belt.
All About Gordon Ryan’s Transformation
Gordon Ryan’s transformation started when he was 15 years old. That is the time he began Jiu-Jitsu training. Later, he started training under Garry Tonon and John Danaher.
Ryan rose to fame after winning the brown belt level in IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation) World Championship. Later, he won the black belt level in the Eddie Bravo Invitational Tournaments. He has won the latter level severally. His rising through BJJ ranks depicted constant learning.
It took Ryan five years to win a black belt. Do you think he took long to win a black belt? No. Five years is a short time to achieve such a win. So, Ryan is good at what he does.
The Gordon Ryan Road to Fame
Nothing can describe Ryan’s road to fame than his championships and achievements. The following are some of the titles he has won over time:
2011
- World Championship in Grapplers Quest: Gold (Teen)
2012
- World Championship in Grapplers Quest: Gold (Beginner)
- Beast from the East Grapplers Quest: Gold (Teen Gi)
- Beast from the East Grapplers Quest: Gold (Teen No-Gi)
2013
- AGL 4: Silver (Absolute)
- AGL 4: Gold
- AGL 3: Gold (Superfight)
2014
- ADCC North American Championship: Bronze
- PGL XI: Gold (Superfight)
- PGL IV: Gold
2015
- Goodfight All-Star: Gold
- IBJJF Nogi World Championships: Gold (Brown Belt)
- United Grappling Association: Gold (Fall Open/Superfight)
2016
- Sapteiro 5: Gold (Superfight)
- Eddie Bravo Invitational 8: Gold
- Grappling Industries: Gold (Superfight)
2017
- Kasai Pro: Gold (Superfight)
- Eddie Bravo Invitational 14: Gold (Absolute)
- Metamoris 8: Gold (Superfight)
2018
- IBJJF Nogi World Championships: Gold (Black Belt Absolute)
- IBJJF Nogi World Championships: Gold (Black Belt)
- Quintet 3: Gold (Team Alpha Male)
2019
- Submission Underground 10: Gold (Superfight)
- Quintet Ultra: Gold (Superfight)
- Third Coast Grappling 3: Gold (Superfight)
2020
- Third Coast Grappling: Gold (Kumite IV/Superfight)
- Who’s Number One: Gold (Superfight)
- Grappling Industries: Gold (Arnold Classic/Absolute)
2021
- Who’s Number One: Gold (Superfight)
- Who’s Number One; Gold (Superfight)
Instructional DVDs
- The Sport of Kings: High-Performance Mindset For Grappling (2020)
- Systematically Attacking From Open Guard Supine Position (2020)
- Systematically Attacking From Open Guard Seated Position (2020)
- Systematically Attacking The Back (2020)
- Systematically Attacking The Turtle (2020)
- My Evolution Your Revolution (2019)
- Systematically Attacking From Closed Guard (2019)
- Systematically Attacking The Guard (2019)
- Getting Swole As A Grappler (2020)
We’re Out!
Gordon Ryan’s BJJ record and his other achievements show that grappling can pay your bills. Ryan BJJ tournaments income enables him to live comfortably and buy luxurious cars at least once a year. If you are thinking of taking up grappling as a career, you are on the right track. Hook up with a mentor and work your way up today.