Gordon Ryan's attitude

[Dana_is_your_GOD]

He comes across arrogant as hell, yet his parents let him drop out of high school and payed for him to train full time. My parents couldn't afford that. Could yours? Also, does this mean he has like an 8th grade education and maturity level?

I couldn't root for anyone less, it's like a rich arrogance. I'm good because my parents paid for me to train.

 

[BJJ_Rage]

not the most likable guy in the world, thats for sure.

 

[Ton]

Your post seems riddled with jealousy and lack of empathy.

IF your parents did pay for you, would you train 8x+++ a week and get good enough to compete at highest level of the sport in a short amount of time?

People are always jealous of other people which have opportunities presented to them. But they don't understand that opportunity is accompanied by hard work. They also seem to not understand that if same opportunity was presented to them, they would at least try to take it.

Another thing to think about: how did you act in your early twenties (if you are older, which is somehow doubtfull)? How would you feel if someone pointed a camera at you at that age and broadcasted that to the world. Personally, I'd be horrified.

 

[Primitivo]

 

[MatRat75]

 

[BJJChess]

Your post seems riddled with jealousy and lack of empathy.

IF your parents did pay for you, would you train 8x+++ a week and get good enough to compete at highest level of the sport in a short amount of time?

People are always jealous of other people which have opportunities presented to them. But they don't understand that opportunity is accompanied by hard work. They also seem to not understand that if same opportunity was presented to them, they would at least try to take it.

Another thing to think about, how did you act in your early twenties (if you are older, which is somehow doubtfull)? How would you feel if someone pointed a camera at you at that age and broadcasted that to the world. Personally, I'd be horrified.

Being young is not an excuse for arrogance. There are many successful young grapplers but they don't behave like Gordon Ryan. He might be naturally stupid though, that is a decent excuse.

 

[Crotalis]

He comes across arrogant as hell, yet his parents let him drop out of high school and payed for him to train full time. My parents couldn't afford that. Could yours? Also, does this mean he has like an 8th grade education and maturity level?

I couldn't root for anyone less, it's like a rich arrogance. I'm good because my parents paid for me to train.

I obviously don't know you, but I'm willing to bet that even if someone did pay for you to train full time, you still wouldn't be that good. Training full time helps immensely, but Gordon Ryan is good because Gordon Ryan is good. He also has the benefit of some pretty awesome teachers and training partners, is physically gifted, has an impressive mind for the game and just works his ass off. I got to spend a weekend training with him once last year and you would not believe the BJJ IQ.

In person he's also very respectful and generally pretty funny. He was in town because my school was throwing a tournament and he was in an 8 man superfight bracket. There was a guy there with a son and daughter in the tournament. Arrogant as hell, loudmouthed and a general tool. His son was a blue belt but he entered the kid in the blue, purple and brown divisions as well as expert no-gi. The guy spent the entire day following Gordon around talking about how his kid would take him if they had a match. So at the end of the day, after Gordon won his bracket and had completed all his matches he quietly agreed to a match with this kid. Gordon proceeded to destroy him, shook his hand and quielty left. Most people would have popped this guy in the face and we almost had to throw him out but Gordon never responded.

TL/DR:

You can't judge someone by their public persona. You don't have to LIKE their public persona, but the guy is just trying to raise his profile and earn some scratch in a sport where earning real money is next to impossible. I kind of enjoy the DDS shenanigans and tend to look at it like a bunch of young guys who are getting to do what a lot of us dream of and don't want to waste a second of it not having fun. I'm personally tired of the "But we're martial artists and we should all act stoic at all times" attitude and would like to see more "fun" in my art. Whichever way you prefer, there's no reason to waste energy hating IMO.

 

[Dana_is_your_GOD]

Your post seems riddled with jealousy and lack of empathy.

IF your parents did pay for you, would you train 8x+++ a week and get good enough to compete at highest level of the sport in a short amount of time?

People are always jealous of other people which have opportunities presented to them. But they don't understand that opportunity is accompanied by hard work. They also seem to not understand that if same opportunity was presented to them, they would at least try to take it.

Another thing to think about, how did you act in your early twenties (if you are older, which is somehow doubtfull)? How would you feel if someone pointed a camera at you at that age and broadcasted that to the world. Personally, I'd be horrified.

It's not hard to show respect and be respectful, like Marcelo Garcia or Rafael Mendes. They worked hard too. They didn't get everything handed to them. His parents F'd up by not teaching him to respect people, but he is now the one responsible for it. Creating all this animosity will come back to bite him.

Your posted is hypocritical because Gordon is showing a LACK of empathy yet you call out my empathy?

 

[Ton]

Being young is not an excuse for arrogance. There are many successful young grapplers but they don't behave like Gordon Ryan. He might be naturally stupid though, that is a decent excuse.

Being young is an excuse for making poor decisions. One of those decisions, specifically for Mr. Ryan, is broadcasting that part of himself to the world. Every accomplished combat sports athlete has a huge ego, Tyson, Ali, McGregor, Jones (to name a few) all chose to broadcast their ego to the world. Some people take the humble route, but without that ego inside, winning consistently is very difficult.

 

[Dana_is_your_GOD]

but the guy is just trying to raise his profile and earn some scratch in a sport where earning real money is next.

He gets everything handed to him, and has all these opportunities yet can still complain about not getting enough money in his sport? WTF?

 

[Dana_is_your_GOD]

Ya'll would get meme owned in the heavies.

 

[Primitivo]

Ya'll would get meme owned in the heavies.

 

[Ton]

It's not hard to show respect and be respectful, like Marcelo Garcia or Rafael Mendes. They worked hard too. They didn't get everything handed to them. His parents F'd up by not teaching him to respect people, but he is now the one responsible for it. Creating all this animosity will come back to bite him.

Your posted is hypocritical because Gordon is showing a LACK of empathy yet you call out my empathy?

It will come back to bite him if he stops being successful. But then everyone will forget about him anyway.

I'm being hypocritical? I suppose I am by omittance, so here: I don't support Gordon Ryan being an asshole, but I understand it.

 

[Crotalis]

He gets everything handed to him, and has all these opportunities yet can still complain about not getting enough money in his sport? WTF?

Uh ... show me again where I said he was COMPLAINING? *cough* TROLL *cough*

 

[BJJChess]

Being young is an excuse for making poor decisions. One of those decisions, specifically for Mr. Ryan, is broadcasting that part of himself to the world. Every accomplished combat sports athlete has a huge ego, Tyson, Ali, McGregor, Jones (to name a few) all chose to broadcast their ego to the world. Some people take the humble route, but without that ego inside, winning consistently is very difficult.

While I can agree with - being young can be an excuse for making poor decisions, I don't agree putting Ryan in the same league with Tyson, Ali, McGregor etc. He is not the best in what he does, he still has to prove how good he is. In any case such attitude is disliked by almost everyone, more importantly sponsors, as he already experienced. What example he gives to young guys? Should everyone act like that?

 

[yetanother]

My parents couldn't afford that. Could yours?.

Being from a poor family doesn't make you any better you know.

 

[karma2burn]

You can't judge someone by their public persona. You don't have to LIKE their public persona, but the guy is just trying to raise his profile and earn some scratch in a sport where earning real money is next to impossible. .

Not trying to be a dick but if you have to resort to these kinds of antics to earn money in BJJ (which according to you is almost next to impossible) then perhaps staying in school and seeking a career that pays well might have been the better course to take.

 

[Ton]

While I can agree with - being young can be an excuse for making poor decisions, I don't agree putting Ryan in the same league with Tyson, Ali, McGregor etc. He is not the best in what he does, he still has to prove how good he is. In any case such attitude is disliked by almost everyone, more importantly sponsors, as he already experienced. What example he gives to young guys? Should everyone act like that?

I didn't mean to give him GOAT status, just using those as an example for my point. And I never argued that it's the way to proceed through life. My main argument was about the reasons OP presented for his argument. Which were rather shaky.

 

[Crotalis]

Not trying to be a dick but if you have to resort to these kinds of antics to earn money in BJJ (which according to you is almost next to impossible) then perhaps staying in school and seeking a career that pays well might have been the better course to take.

Meh. I'm not really in to judging how people live heir lives as long as they aren't hurting anyone. He can always go back to school. He'll only be young once. May as well take the opportunity while he has it. Especially if his parents are rich enough to provide a safety net. Plus, for all we know he's taking private classes on the side.

Basically, the way I see it, the kid's got a dream and he's going after it. You don't have to like how he's going about it (and there's times when I've definitley rolled my eyes), but I don't get the amount of vitriol he sometimes gets. I understand dislike, but the outright hate surprises me. Like he slapped someone's mom or something. lol

As far as earning big money in grappling/BJJ, yeah, it's pretty damn hard. I'm surprised anyone would dispute that.

 

[trustdoesntrust]

He's 21 years old, been a black belt less than a year, and has already submitted maybe the top two guys in his weight class, Yuri Simoes and Keenan Corneliius. He's been so good so fast that other big-name competitors seem, at best, reluctant to face him in an open rules contest. Further, him and his teammates have played a central role in making submission grappling a viable professional spectator sport, an achievement that seemed a pipe dream until even very recently. So let him wear the crown, act pompously, cultivate inter-gym beefs-- whatever he wants to do.