As Gordon Ryan Makes Controversial Statement on Khabib’s Sambo, Joe Rogan Bestows Upon Him the Ultimate BJJ Crown

Gordon Ryan is probably one of the greatest No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters. The fact that ‘King’ is a 5-time ADCC world champion, and a 2-time IBJJF No-Gi World champion speaks volumes about his ability as a martial artist. Adding to his list of accomplishments, Ryan has now made the list of Joe Rogan‘s greatest MMA fighters. Which is an extreme honor, considering the number of martial artists the UFC color commentator has observed in his career. Despite not being a UFC Fighter, Rogan had no doubt in his mind that Ryan was the best among the current crop of BJJ Fighters.

Joe Rogan dubbed Gordon Ryan as the best

The former Fear Factor and the current JRE host, Joe Rogan, considered Gordon Ryan to be the best Jiu-jitsu fighter active. The podcast host also spoke about the huge influence of the legendary Brazilian BJJ practitioner, Rickson Gracie. Even his competitors regarded him as the best in the business. That’s how good he was.

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Rogan further commented that he was a looker, back in the day, and ladies would swoon over him. In episode #1913 of The JRE with comedian, Brian Redban.

Rogan said, “He (Gracie) was the greatest of all time.”

“If you as any Jiu-jitsu black belt, ‘Who’s the best?’”

“They all said ‘Rickson.’”

“Now, they all say Gordon Ryan. Which is true of today.”

But, the former fear factor host admits times have changed. And the title for ‘The Best’ these days goes to one, Gordon Ryan.

‘King’ on Sambo vs BJJ

In a podcast with Flex Lewis, Ryan shared an embarrassing tale involving his first appearance at the JRE podcast. But since then, the 27-year-old has reached new heights and impressed Rogan with his fighting abilities.

The veteran UFC commentator said, “Gordon Ryan is the modern version of Rickson, where everybody just says, ‘He is the best.’”

So much so that he compared Ryan with a Jiu-Jitsu fighter, he adored the most in Rickson Gracie. And referred to the 5-time ADCC champion, as his modern-day counterpart. However, his take on Sambo might upset the likes of Rogan.

Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s protégé, and the current lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev are masters of sambo. As an art form, Sambo has overtaken jiu-jitsu in the UFC. However, ‘King’ believes that this is not because of the art form itself, but the nature of the competition. As Sambo is well-suited for the rules and regulations of an MMA competition, unlike Jiu-jitsu.

Therefore, Sambo might continue its dominance in the coming years among UFC fighters.

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Do you agree with Rogan?