Gordon Ryan is back!
After more than a year on the shelf, ‘The King’ returned to the mat on Sunday as part of the stacked WNO 20: Night of Champions event in Houston, Texas. Defending his WNO heavyweight championship against Patrick Gaudio, Ryan delivered a dominant performance that saw him play his opponent like a fiddle before scoring the submission victory by way of an arm bar.
Following the contest, Gordon Ryan opened up his always intriguing box of mystery, revealing an envelope that predicted his exact method of victory. He also pulled out a bottle of Conor McGregor‘s favorite beverage, Proper No. 12, and a creepy-looking doll.
Make of that what you will.
Gordon Ryan Bounced Back from a Severe Illness
Prior to his appearance at WNO 20, Ryan’s last time competing was at a UFC Fight Pass Invitational event in December 2022 against Nicky Rod. Shortly after, ‘The King’ contracted a severe case of strep throat during a road trip to Abu Dhabi. Despite undergoing multiple rounds of antibiotic treatment, the infection only continued to worsen, resulting in a tonsillectomy.
Sadly, Ryan’s health issues did not stop there as he began to experience stomach discomfort due to fungal growth in his small intestine.
Images of Ryan looking weak and emaciated began to circulate on social media. Those unaware of his health issues were quick to slam the BJJ star, claiming that his scrawny appearance only occurred after he stopped ingesting performance-enhancing substances.
Ryan has never outright stated that he takes traditionally banned substances, but he has reiterated on more than one occasion that PEDs are not illegal in jiu-jitsu, which is essentially admitting it without admitting it. It’s also why you will likely never see Ryan sign on the dotted line with major combat sports organizations like ONE Championship which tests their athletes through the International Doping Tests & Management.
