"You're the guy that can take us to the next level"- Chael Sonnen explains why Gordon Ryan should not do MMA and why the BJJ world needs him

Chael Sonnen believes Gordon Ryan shouldn't transition to the sport of MMA because Brazilian jiu-jitsu needs him. The 27-year-old is widely regarded as one of the greatest submission grapplers ever. He's fresh off capturing the ADCC title earlier this month.

In an edition of Beyond the Fight, Chael Sonnen alluded that certain sections of the combat sports community have been calling for Gordon Ryan to try his hand at MMA. The former UFC fighter suggested that although there's a certain appeal to an elite BJJ athlete crossing over to MMA, Ryan's case is slightly different.

'The Bad Guy' insinuated that Gordon Ryan is helping take the sport of BJJ to the next level, popularizing it among the masses and successfully monetizing his brand as a BJJ specialist combat athlete. Sonnen indicated that Ryan would be better off staying in BJJ than moving to MMA.

Similarly, he feels the jiu-jitsu community would greatly benefit if Ryan continues helping the sport ascend to greater heights of popularity. Sonnen believes that the BJJ community should incentivize Ryan by consistently offering him lucrative paydays to keep him in the sport:

"I don't see any reason for Gordon to leave behind what he's worked so hard to have. And I think it's a very different spot. And the sport of jiu-jitsu -- who does not have great leadership -- for what leaders they have, need to throw an arm around Gordon and say, 'Stay here. You're the guy that can take us to the next level. You're the guy we've been waiting for. You're the guy we never knew that we needed. You're the guy.'"

Watch Sonnen discuss the topic at 3:40 in the video below:

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Joe Rogan heaps praise on Gordon Ryan's mental warfare

While Gordon Ryan signed with ONE Championship last year, the consensus is that he's still got a long way to go before he can reach the pinnacle of MMA as he did in BJJ. Whether or not he chooses to make his long-awaited transition to MMA remains to be seen.

That said, UFC commentator Joe Rogan is all praise for Gordon Ryan. In a recent Joe Rogan Experience podcast episode, he lauded Ryan's psychological warfare in BJJ. Moreover, emphasizing that facing Ryan amplifies the general fear that any world-class athlete experiences while competing at the elite level, Rogan said:

"With Gordon, they have it worse because no one is beating him. He's just running through everybody. He's talking shit and he's a giant, good-looking guy who talks s**t."

Watch Rogan discuss Ryan below: