Gordon Ryan took on Nick Rodriguez in the main event of UFC Fight Pass Invitational 3. It was a No-Gi jiu-jitsu match that went to triple overtime. This was the second meeting between Nicky Rod and Gordon this year. The pair previously grappled at ADCC 2022, where Gordan submitted Nicky with a heel hook. Although Rodriguez fared much better this time, Ryan once again got the better of him.
Ryan beat Nicky at the 0:45 minute mark of the third overtime via the fastest escape time. But the bout almost did not go the distance as Nick Rodriguez came agonizingly close to avenging his loss to Ryan earlier this year. Just at the end of round 3 of the match, Rodriguez managed to get Ryan into a vicious neck crank. Although Ryan tried to find a way out of it, “The King” ultimately tapped.
So close for Nicky Rod!!! But we are going to escape time!! #FPI3 pic.twitter.com/3ObYx8OmBu
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) December 16, 2022
But, unfortunately for Nick Rodriguez, the time was up for the round and it bout went into overtime. After the win, Gordon commented on the tap during his post-match press conference. He revealed that the tap was intentional to catch the referee’s attention and let him know that the time elapsed. But, he did not blame the ref for the scenario as he was happy to take home the $25,000 prize money.
“I was looking at the timer and all I remember is my teeth getting squeezed through my lip. And, I clearly looked at the timer and it hit two minutes and I was just like, well maybe there’s a lag between like what is on the screen and what the actual person is doing, telling time.
“I think what happened was, people were like cheering and I think the referee Victor maybe didn’t hear the person yell time. So when it hit two minutes, I was like, ‘okay, like maybe it’s lagging.’ So I count to five. So I counted like one, two, three, all the way up to five. And then the match still hadn’t stopped. And I just feel my lip getting pushed, my tooth getting pushed through my lip. So, I pointed at the timer, and then I tapped. Like the match has been over for ten seconds.”
Who has beaten Gordon Ryan in BJJ?
There is no BJJ superstar who has a bigger fan following than Gordon Ryan. He is the most accomplished No-Gi BJJ grappler ever. Under the tutelage of John Dahaner, Gordon Ryan has won many No-Gi BJJ grappling tournaments like ADCC, IBJJF No-Gi World Championships, IBJJF Pan No-Gi, and Metamoris. With the second win over Nick Rodriguez in 2022, As per Flo Grappling, Ryan’s record now stands at 97-5-3.
Gordon Ryan defeats Nicky Rod via fastest escape (0:45) in triple overtime#FPI3 pic.twitter.com/u88XVRica1
— MMA mania (@mmamania) December 16, 2022
Ryan also extends his unbeaten streak to 55 matches in a row now. No current grappler has even troubled Gordon Ryan in recent years. But, as good as the 27-year-old is, Ryan also has 5 losses in his career. However, considering the number of grappling matches Ryan had so far, it is an astonishingly low number. So let’s look at the grapplers who have beaten Gordon Ryan in his career so far.
He suffered his first career loss against Aaron Johnson on 6th Feb 2016 via points. The King faced defeat for the second time in 2016, as Felipe Pena beat him via submission. It was Ryan’s first-ever submission loss and his second career defeat. On April 15th, 2017, Leandro Lo beat him via points at ADCC West Coast Trials. Felipe Pena once again beat him on 24th September 2017, via points.
Gordon’s last career loss was against Vinny Magalhaes at ACB JJ 13, as he lost via points once more. Vinny is a former UFC fighter with a record of 1-3.