"Few people have done more for the sport" - Gordon Ryan pens heartfelt message to Andre Galvao following historic win at ADCC 2022

Gordon Ryan defeated Andre Galvao in a superfight at the ADCC World Championships 2022 on September 18. This essentially marked the passing of the torch in NoGi grappling from the legendary Galvao, who turns 40 this month, to the 27-year-old New Jersey native who is the face of the sport today.

Ryan took a dominant 12-0 lead over 'Deco' before securing a rear-naked choke victory at the 16:04 mark. 'King' shared a heartfelt message for Galvao in the aftermath of his legendary victory.

Ryan credited the legendary Brazilian for helping him become a better athlete whilst preparing for their fight. In a lengthy post on Instagram, he wrote:

"The biggest match in jiu jitsu history- Few people have done more for the sport and in the sport than Andre. He is someone we should all look up to as an athlete. He's been competing and winning at the highest levels longer than anyone and long before I even started training. Between his gi and no gi titles he has well over a dozen world titles. I am lucky to have the experience to share the mat with someone of his caliber. He made me a better athlete by preparing for him. We both pushed this sport to new heights and it was an absolute honor for me and a dream of mine to compete against him. He will go down in the books as one of the very best to ever do it. I'm just happy to be part of his incredible story and lucky enough to be the one he passed the torch to. Thank you Andre for this experience."

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Veteran UFC referee hails Gordon Ryan as the Conor McGregor of NoGi

Gordon Ryan's meteroic rise in the world of NoGi grappling has been nothing short of spectacular. Since first competing in the ADCC in 2017, 'King' has ammassed five titles in the league. With a following of over half a million fans on Instagram, Ryan has also brought significant attention to his discipline.

Seasoned UFC referee Marc Goddard also credits Ryan for the growth of NoGi grappling at large. According to Goddard, the 27-year-old has the same effect on NoGi that Conor McGregor had on MMA. When asked to state how ADCC has grown, Goddard wrote on Twitter:

"Gordon Ryan. He is the Conor McGregor effect to NoGi."