Gordon Ryan has endured an extended hospital stay after suffering severe strep throat.
Ryan, a 1st-degree BJJ black belt, is arguably the greatest submission grappling competitor of all time. The 27-year-old’s career has faced massive obstacles over the last few years due to several health issues, including a stomach condition that was originally misdiagnosed.
The five-time ADCC champion found himself back in the hospital after returning from Abu Dhabi. He posted an update to his fans on Instagram by saying:
“Hi everyone- quick update for everyone who has been asking. I’m not sure when I’ll be competing again. When I got back from my Abu Dhabi trip I came down with a severe case of strep throat which ended with me in the hospital because my throat swelled shut. Doctors also couldn’t figure out how to cure it since no one ever fails penicillin for a strep infection. In all, I did 7 days of amoxicillin and within a day my throat was back to square one. Then, I did 10 days of penicillin and within 2 days off I was in the hospital with my throat swollen shut. In the hospital, they gave me a shot of penicillin and another 10 days of penicillin, which i failed.”
Gordon Ryan continued:
“Then I switched to 14 days of clindamycin, which worked. So all in I was on over 40 days of antibiotics straight plus a shot of penicillin. During this time I was contagious and everyone were in big camps so I couldn’t even go to training in fear I would infect them as well. In addition, my ears were in so much pain from my throat that I couldn’t elevate my heart rate at all without having them want to explode and getting a pounding headache.”
Ryan last competed in December 2022, defeating Nick Rodriguez at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 3. He was scheduled for a highly-anticipated rematch against his rival, Felipe Pena, on February 25 before pulling out due to health issues. It’s unclear when the New Jersey native will be able to compete again.
Gordon Ryan reveals his stomach issues have resurfaced
Gordon Ryan has spent over five years battling a stomach issue diagnosed as fungal growth in his intestines. In 2022, Ryan explained the side effects of the condition during an episode of The JRE MMA Show with Joe Rogan. ‘King’ explained that he would be nauseous nearly 24/7 and barely be able to eat.
Unfortunately, the world-class submission grappler has recently faced a setback after improving his stomach issues. He had this to say during the same Instagram statement mentioned above:
“So I’ve been completely inactive for a longer time than I ever have since I started training. As expected, my stomach has relapsed pretty bad and my nausea and lack of appetite have re-appeared, so I’ll need to deal with that, but first I’m headed into surgery today for a tonsillectomy and to fix my severely deviated septum. Just wanted to update everyone on what my competition schedule looks like. I’m hoping to be back in the next few months ❤️”
There’s a small chance that Gordon Ryan might never compete again. Despite his optimism to bounce back, the 27-year-old continues to experience abnormal health issues that are concerning. With that said, ‘King’ seems to revolve his life around submission grappling, making it mandatory for him to return. Luckily, Ryan posted an update today that the surgery was successful.
