No one can deny that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu multiple-time world champion Gordon Ryan is one of, if not the greatest  grapplers ever. Often controversial, the American has shown a kind of dominance in his sport that invites comparisons to the likes of Michael Jordan or Lionel Messi. If only BJJ was a more popular sport, he would be a cultural figure in his own right like the aforementioned elite athletes. Ryan, after all, is a five-time ADCC champion (the premiere BJJ tournament, often called the Olympics of grappling), not to mention the dozens of other titles and tournaments he has won.

While his confession that he takes PEDs has thrown some shade at his achievements, the champ has pointed out that a lot of grapplers do the same, and he is the only one who has the courage to admit it. And on his journey, supporting him through the thick and thin of his career has been his long-time girlfriend Nathalia Santoro, who is a BJJ competitor herself. In this article, we take a closer look at the relationship between the couple and Santoro’s life and background.

Meet Nathalia Santoro; is she married to Gordon Ryan?

It seems as long as anyone could remember, Gordon Ryan has been with Nathalia Santoro. The latter originally hails from Brazil, and is a model and fitness influencer at the moment. When talking about a couple, the first question that comes to everyone’s mind, of course, is: how did they meet?

The duo met in 2016, as a result of their shared love for BJJ and fitness at the legendary Renzo Gracie HQ one of the best BJJ gyms in the entire world! The couple fell in love shortly after and have been integral parts of each other’s lives since then.

They are not married, at least not yet, nor do they have any children together. A veritable power couple, their relationship has been going strong for nearly a decade, and looks to be moving from strength to strength, with their amazing compatibility and shared passions being a pillar of their relationship. Not all marriages, let alone relationships last eight years, or at least start getting frayed on the edges. Not so for Ryan and Santoro.

Over the past eight years, their relationship has strengthened even more.  The Brazilian today is not only an integral part of Ryan’s personal life, but is as important to the BJJ champ’s professional pursuits. Ryan, after all, uses Santoro as his partner in all of his popular BJJ instructional videos! Not to mention they often train together at John Danaher’s legendary gym, which of course, has brought them even closer. While many know her as a BJJ competitor and as Ryan Gordon’s girlfriend, ‘Sonny’ came into the sport relatively late.

Nathalia Santoro’s profession, BJJ belt and accomplishments

Nathalia Santoro is Brazilian through and through even though she has moved to America to be with her champion boyfriend. Born and raised in the Brazilian party capital of Sao Paulo by her nurse mother who was a nurse, it can safely be said that what she is today is largely due to the influence of her family, and one family member in particular. ‘Sonny’ was taken by the fitness and athletic world because of her older brother.

The elder Santoro was a bodybuilder. ‘Sonny’ was just becoming a teen then, and so impressed with her brother and his bodybuilding was she that she resolved to follow his footsteps, which she indeed did to great success.

At the age of fourteen, when most kids had school as their first priority, Nathalia started going to the gym. But not only did she start going to the gym, she started becoming a bodybuilder. So good and so dedicated was ‘Sonny’ at the discipline, that she was soon competing in bodybuilding competitions.

The Sao Paulo native took the logical next step and also started modeling. Santoro reportedly graced the pages of many magazines during her modeling stint along with being the face of some brands during her stint as a model. Until that is, she discovered and fell in love with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which would eventually bring her to America where she met her future beau.

Over the past eight, she has become not only Ryan’s girlfriend but a bona fide grappler. While nowhere near as accomplished as her boyfriend, Santoro does hold a brown belt in BJJ, and even competed in the sport, some may say briefly. As of August 2024, the last time she got on the mats for an organized, competitive fight was four years ago. And the reason for this is simple (and incredibly selfless)- she puts Ryan’s career over her own.

Gordon Ryan’s special message to his partner

If it is indeed true that couples who laugh together stay together Ryan and Santoro will be with each other for a long, long time to come. The duo share a playful relationship, which benefits from both of them having quite a sense of humor.

One of the long-running inside jokes the couple have between them is that they refer to each other as siblings in their posts, which is funny to those who know it is a joke, but must be horrifying to the people who are unaware of their real relationship, and assume they’re brother and sister! This joke started after Ryan once quipped that his parents had ‘adopted’ Santoro as one of their children, so much do they love her. And it is easy to say why they love her so much, as was made clear in a lengthy, heartfelt Insta post Ryan made a few years ago, explaining exactly why he loves Santoro so much.

“There are many people and things in my life that the public gives credit to for my success, and they’re usually right, but one person who definitely doesn’t get enough credit is Sonny.

She doesn’t ask for credit, she doesn’t complain, and she always puts me first.
If we are laughing or fighting, business is business, and the career always comes first.

We support each other in every way imaginable, and both know what we signed up for.
I am very lucky to have someone in my personal life who can help access the board, both on and off the mats.

Thanks for being you, Sonny.” Ryan wrote. All of this to say that Santoro has been the anchor and support structure for his personal and professional career, always putting his career in front of her own, and on whom he can always count on, no matter what is going on in his career or indeed life. What are your thoughts on their relationship?