- Gordon Ryan has been pushing a Granby roll vs Dagestani wrestling idea as a way to survive (and reset) against suffocating, back-taking wrestling pressure.
- The angle is obvious: is the Granby roll really enough to stop “Dagestani wrestling” like Islam Makhachev or Khabib Nurmagomedov built their reputations on?
- UFC star Khamzat Chimaev didn’t entertain it for a second—he responded with a blunt dismissal.
- The real debate isn’t “Granby roll: yes or no.” It’s whether you can chain it, threaten, and stand up before you get handcuffed and dragged right back down.
The internet loves a silver bullet. And nothing triggers grapplers faster than the idea that one “basic” movement could solve the nastiest problem in MMA: the kind of top control that turns elite athletes into passengers.
That’s why the Gordon Ryan Granby Roll vs Dagestani Wrestling conversation blew up so quickly. Ryan’s take is simple on the surface—if a wrestler is trying to ride you from turtle, climb your back, and glue you to the mat, you don’t accept the ride.
You move. You roll. You keep rolling. You force scrambles until there’s daylight to stand.
But the moment the idea touched a name like Khamzat Chimaev—one of the sport’s most physically imposing wrestle-grapplers—the response was immediate and aggressive.
Big bulls—t.
– Khamzat Chimaev –
And now we’ve got the perfect click-fight: the most dominant No-Gi grappler of his era promoting a classic wrestling escape as a “Dagestani problem-solver”… and one of the most feared MMA wrestlers alive calling it nonsense.
Granby Roll vs Dagestani Wrestling – Will it Work?
Let’s separate what’s hype from what’s actually being argued.
Nobody serious is claiming the Granby roll is a magic spell that turns Islam Makhachev into a white belt. The real claim is more specific: if you can’t win the initial takedown battle, and you can’t stop the ride once they get behind you, then your best chance is to refuse the position and force motion before the top player locks you into their control system.
That’s the entire Granby roll vs Dagestani wrestling conversation in one sentence: it’s not just takedowns—it’s the ride, the pressure, the wrist control, the constant mat returns, and the ability to keep you facing away while they climb to your back.
In that context, the Gordon Ryan Granby roll argument isn’t “roll once and you’re free.” It’s that repeated Granby attempts can create the chaos you need to get your hips back under you and get to your feet—especially if you can threaten something (a leg entanglement, a front headlock, a roll-through attack) so the top player can’t just follow mindlessly.
What A Granby Roll Actually Does (And Why It’s Not New)
Here’s the part that makes this so polarizing: the Granby roll is not some secret DDS technique. It’s old-school wrestling.
It’s generally used from an inferior position—often when the top player has a waist ride or is in the process of taking the back. The bottom player turns their shoulders, elevates, and rolls through to either escape, recover position, or force the top player to re-grip and re-stabilize.
In Jiu-Jitsu terms, it’s one of the first “don’t die in turtle” movements most people learn. It’s why some grapplers hear “Granby roll is the answer” and immediately react like: That’s it? That’s the plan?
But the reason it keeps resurfacing is also obvious: in the right moment, it can be one of the fastest ways to break a tight ride before hooks and seatbelt control are fully locked in. But does it consistently come on top in the Granby roll vs Dagestani wrestling matchup?
The Catch: Granby Rolls Can Get You Handcuffed
This is where the sensational headline meets the ugly reality.
If you Granby lazily—especially in MMA—you can hand the top player exactly what they want:
Your back
Your hips drifting away from the fence
A clean lane to insert hooks or trap a wrist.
The Dagestani-style ride is built around control before submission. It’s not just “take the back and choke.” It’s “break your posture, trap your hands, flatten you, and keep you there.”
If the top player can clamp onto your hips and keep your shoulders turned away, a Granby roll becomes less of an escape and more of a predictable loop they can follow like a drill.
That’s why the chain matters.
A Granby roll that doesn’t lead to a second movement is often just a reset… for the guy on top.
And that’s the hidden truth behind the Gordon Ryan Granby roll debate: you’re not debating a move—you’re debating whether you can build an escape sequence under pressure that doesn’t end with you giving up the back.
Khamzat Chimaev’s Reaction Shows What Fighters Really Think
Chimaev’s blunt response is funny, but it also reveals something practical: wrestlers don’t fear “cool moves.” They fear being forced into transitions where they lose their grips and their ability to settle.
And he didn’t just dismiss the Granby roll vs Dagestani wrestling —there was also a challenge thrown back, essentially asking for the explanation of why it wouldn’t work.
Let get you on the show explaining why it’s [bulls—t].
– Joaquin Buckley –
Chimaev’s reply kept the tone the same:
You too same s—t.
– Khamzat Chimaev –
That exchange is the whole story in miniature: grappling world says “here’s an escape concept,” top MMA wrestlers say “sure… in theory,” and then everyone argues past each other because they’re imagining different scenarios.
Because yes—Granby rolls show up in MMA. But they usually show up in moments where:
The fence is involved
Strikes are a factor
The top player is actively trying to punish movement, not just follow it.
If You’re Betting On The Gordon Ryan Granby Roll, This Is The Real “Dagestani” Test
If you’re a grappler reading about Ryan’s take on Granby roll vs Dagestani wrestling and thinking, “Okay, but could it work?” the honest answer is: only if it’s not your only idea.
The Granby roll is a tool—a way to create a break in the ride. The real escape package looks more like this:
- Hand fight first (because if your wrists are trapped, you’re rolling into a cage).
- Granby to force a grip change, not to “win” the position outright.
- Immediately connect it to a stand-up, a re-guard, or a threatening angle—something that punishes the top player for following.
- Repeat if needed, because the first escape often just buys you a half-second of space.
That’s the version that has a chance against the “Dagestani wrestling” archetype: not one roll, but a relentless refusal to be ridden.
And that’s also why this debate is going to stick around. The Gordon Ryan Granby roll idea is clickbait on the surface—but underneath it is a real question MMA has been trying to answer for years:
When someone’s whole game is pressure + ride + mat return… what do you do when “just stand up” isn’t available?
Sometimes the answer is grim: you get stuck anyway. But sometimes, the only way out is to move so aggressively that the top player has to choose between control and chaos.
That’s what Ryan is really selling—and what Chimaev is really rejecting.
