Gordon Ryan recently went against the grain when replying to a fan on social media about the efficiency of Sambo over Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. the best grappler in the world supported the claim of Khabib, that Sambo is better than BJJ… But only when it comes to MMA.
Gordon Ryan loves stirring up trouble with his opinions, and his latest one goes completely against what was demonstrated so far in ONE Championship, where BJJ athletes have 4 wins over Sambo athletes. Namely, Ryan supported the claim of Dagestani grapplers like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Mahkachev that Sambo is better than BJJ when discussing the subject with one of his fans.
“Gordon. How come BJJ guys keep getting destroyed on the ground vs sambo guys the last few years??? Genuinely keen to hear your input on this. Do you think there are any BJJers that could stop guys like Khabib and Islam in MMA????” asked the fan.
Gordon replied, explaining very astutely why Sambo is better than BJJ when it comes to grappling for mixed martial arts:
“Sambo guys” are more well-equipped to wrestle under an MMA rule set. Meaning they dominate the pace and direction of the fight, and end on top. And make their opponents carry body weight, forming a discrepancy in the work rate that leads to fatigue over time. plus the guys they’re fighting aren’t, in my opinion, world-level jiu-jitsu that focuses on MMA, not specialists.”
The part of the answer that lacks, though is who would be able to deal with the superior grappling of Sambo athletes, and who those world-level Jiu-Jitsu fighters Gordon has in mind are. Ryan’s teammate and friend Garry Tonon certainly qualifies as one, but he is currently on the roster of ONE FC.
With the likes of Kron Gracie and Rodolfo Vieira on the UFC roster though, it is not difficult to foresee a match where the debate about whether or not Sambo is better than BJJ for MMA is put to the test inside the octagon.
