BJJ ‘King’ Gordon Ryan is ‘malnourished and dying’ after being bedridden once again with stomach illness
Gordon Ryan’s health has taken another turn for the worse.
The BJJ ‘King’ had a dominant year on the mats in 2022, racking up nine straight victories including an ADCC world championship. The following year, Ryan was shelved as his health issues caused him to lose a significant amount of weight. Miraculously, he bounced back in 2023 and looked as strong as ever, though he only competed once, earning a win over Patrick Gaudio.
It looks as though Gordon Ryan is once again bedridden and struggling daily with his stomach issues. Despite being “malnourished and dying” the submission specialist is still looking fit as a fiddle, something he credits to having built “real” muscle before admittedly cycling on and off steroids.
“For those of you close to me, you know I’ve been bedridden almost completely for the last month or so with my stomach,” Ryan revealed on social media. “Haven’t been able to eat hardly anything or exercise at all. Today is the first day I’ve been able to push more than a light workout (I did legs) in over a month. I’ve lost 20 lbs (currently around 206), yet I still feel strong and look, well, I’m probably the best looking human being to have ever existed, but that’s besides the point.
“No matter how many steroids you take, you won’t maintain size off cycle or through sickness if you haven’t built ‘real’ muscle,” Ryan continued. “It’s why you see guys go from 235 to 170 on vs. off cycle. Even though I’m malnourished and dying, I’m still me. You can’t cut corners and expect proper results. This is something [Nathalia Santoro] taught me seven years ago, and I finally get what she means. More to come and fingers crossed these new meds keep helping.”
Ryan, 28, was scheduled to compete at a UFC Fight Pass Invitational event on December 9 but withdrew from the contest due to a popped rib injury. He still intends to compete at the 2024 ADCC tournament which kicks off this March in New Mexico.
