Ex-UFC fighter weighs in on BJJ champ Gordon Ryan's refusal to go into MMA

Gordon Ryan, one of the best jiu-jitsu practitioners today, recently claimed that he wants to propel the martial arts form to new heights and has no plans to transition into MMA any time soon. Former UFC middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen offered his stance on the matter.

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Ryan disclosed that he got into jiu-jitsu after watching old Royce Gracie in the UFC, stating that he aspired to become an MMA fighter. However, due to his early success in grappling, he decided to pursue it exclusively. Ryan acknowledges that a move to MMA still entices him, but it will be some time before we see him in the octagon.

Weighing in on Gordon Ryan's comments on his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen said that top-tier athletes from any field rarely make career changes at the peak of their abilities:

"When you get tough guys together, they will naturally gravitate towards what's toughest....but nobody on top of one sport goes into a different sport."

Sonnen also mentioned the careers of UFC fighters Daniel Cormier and Henry Cejudo, amongst others, who successfully transitioned to MMA after their wrestling heydays concluded:

"They left their sport when they came to MMA.... but you have to understand that their time in wrestling was done. It had grown stale."

Watch the full video below:

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Gordon Ryan feels like he's the "Mayweather or McGregor of jiu-jitsu"

Since defeating fellow BJJ superstar Andre Galvao at the 2022 ADCC World Championship, 27-year-old Gordon Ryan's popularity has skyrocketed. More importantly, many now consider Gordon the best of all time because of this historic victory.

If the five-time ADCC World Champion's claims about his annual earnings from competitions are to be believed, he pulls in more than $1 million (not including his earnings from seminars and instructional films). Gordon Ryan claims he's staying out of mixed martial arts for the time being to help raise the level of jiu-jitsu overall.

Gordon Ryan stated in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour that he wants his grappling counterparts to attain the same financial level as he has:

“I’m like the Mayweather or McGregor of jiu-jitsu. I don’t make nearly as much money as them, but in proportion to the rest of the guys. Most of my jiu-jitsu money comes from instructional videos, so I don’t think anyone is going to make as much money teaching as I do, because I think I’m a much better teacher.”

He added:

“But I do think that in the next five to 10 years, athletes could be making similar money to what I’m making now just through competition purses. I think that an athlete in jiu-jitsu in the next five to 10 years should be making over $1 million a year just competing.”

Catch Gordon Ryan's comments below (24:40):