Who is Gordon Ryan and which MMA promotion did he recently sign with?

Gordon Ryan is a professional submission grappler and BJJ practitioner. The American is widely renowned for being one of the best submission artists in the world. He recently signed the dotted line with ONE Championship. The CEO of the promotion, Chatri Sityodtong, took to Twitter to announce Gordon Ryan's signing with the promotion.

BREAKING NEWS: Gordon Ryan has signed with ONE Championship for both mixed martial arts and submission grappling!

— Chatri Sityodtong (@yodchatri) March 22, 2021

Gordon Ryan has competed at the highest levels of submission grappling. He began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at 15. He began competing as a BJJ brown belt in 2011 and has since amassed an impressive record of 143 wins, 9 losses and 3 draws in professional submission grappling. 120 of his 143 wins have come by submission.

His wins came in some of the most elite grappling tournaments on the planet. Ryan has been the ADCC world champion thrice, the IBJJF no-gi world champion, and the Eddie Bravo Invitational champion four times.

Gordon Ryan has not lost a bout in three years, having competed 43 times over the duration. He holds victories over many renowned MMA personalities like Vagner Rocha, Gabriel Gonzaga, Josh Barnett, Dillon Danis, and Aleksei Oleinik.

Currently, Gordon Ryan holds a 1st-degree Black belt under Garry Tonon and John Danaher.

Has Gordon Ryan ever competed in professional MMA before?

No, Gordon Ryan has never competed as a professional mixed martial artist. His deal with ONE Championship has now set him up for his mixed martial arts debut.

His prowess in grappling is time-tested and will make Gordon Ryan an opponent to watch out for in the ONE grappling tournament. The 25-year-old's expertise on the ground will also play to his advantage on the MMA canvas. Many of Gordon Ryan's former opponents and friends, like Marcus Almeida and Garry Tonon, have already made their MMA debuts with ONE championship.

There has been no official announcement regarding the specifications of Gordon Ryan's contract with ONE Championship yet. We may see him make his MMA debut in 2022.

There is also a chance that we may not see him take part in MMA at all. Gordon Ryan took to Instagram to announce his signing with ONE Championship. In the caption, he clarified that MMA would be on the table if he "chooses to" take that route. He also stated that at present, his main aim is the ADCC Championship in 2022.