Tony Stark is dead, Renzo Gracie is threatening the president of France, and . In a world gone mad, it’s comforting to know submission superpowers like Gordon Ryan and Keenan Cornelius can unite for good. (Or at least “personal gain.”)
This weekend Ryan coached Cornelius at No-Gi Pans, and the results were generally heartwarming. Cornelius, who recently split from longtime home gym Atos and is in the middle of opening his own flagship school, ended up victorious on the podium with his first Pan no-gi gold. And Ryan showed off his sweeter side, taking to the ‘Gram to celebrate the success of a guy and work ethic he used to watch back when he was “a 3 stripe white belt.”
As a sidebar, Cornelius almost didn’t compete at all in absolute, doing so only after a pep talk from Ryan and partner in crime Nat Santoro. So next time you’re about to quit after a crappy division showing, make sure you’ve got someone around who believes in you as much as the Thor and Doctor Strange of jiu-jitsu believe in each other. And if they’re also one of the winningest no-gi champs in history that would be helpful too:
