"Be the guy who tried" - Gordon Ryan hopes to inspire others to take the first step in order to achieve greatness

Gordon Ryan has risen to be one of the best grapplers in the world today. However, he had to claw his way up and sacrifice plenty to achieve his place as a legend in his sport.

In an Instagram post, ‘The King’ shared a screenshot of a comment that thanked him for giving perspective on the sacrifices he had to make. In the next photo, he offered a lesson for young people who are hoping to succeed in Brazilian jiu-jitsu:

“If you're in this sport you must understand the brutal truth- you are going to work for YEARS, operating tirelessly, with no recognition, no money, and no power. You must be prepared to sacrifice (invest) your hard-earned money back into training, you must be prepared to lose friends, and you must be prepared to live a boring life with a strict routine if you seek long lasting success at the highest levels."

At just 26 years old, Ryan has already achieved much in the highest levels of grappling competitions, and on multiple occasions. In 2021, the American signed on to ONE Championship to compete in both submission grappling and MMA.

However, he may not have been able to achieve such feats if he didn’t try – something he hopes his story could inspire others to do:

“To be honest, for most people who pursue this sport, it won't pay off, and I had no idea it would pay off for me, but I always told myself I'd rather be the guy that tried and failed than the guy who was on his death bed wondering what would have happen IF I did try. I tried, and for me it paid off. Be PERFECT, and hopefully it will pay off for you too. Be the guy who tried.”

---

Gordon Ryan shared how Garry Tonon helped his career

Garry Tonon has been a mentor for Gordon Ryan ever since he started in the sport. However, Tonon’s guidance and care has gone beyond the mats.

Ryan shared just how big Tonon has been in his life and his career:

“I made my money after HS as a garbage man full time until I saved enough money to support traveling to the city, then started making money eventually through jiu-jitsu, and as many of you know, @garrytonon ate a lot of the initial expenses driving into the city until I was able to chip in when I wasn't dead broke. I wouldn't be here without him.”

Tonon awarded Ryan with his black belt in 2016 along with his other mentors, Tom DeBlass, Ricardo Almeida, and John Danaher. At the ADCC 2019, Gordon Ryan defeated Tonon and Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida in the absolutes, etching his name alongside the greats of the sport.

All these achievements would not have been possible without the help of Tonon, and of course, taking the first step to “try.”