In a huge surprise for jiu-jitsu fans, Gordon Ryan will be returning to competition this Friday for the first time since February.
In a social media post, Ryan revealed that a switch-up at this Friday’s Kinektic team jiu-jitsu event had led to him taking the injured Jake Shields’ place on the card. Ryan will be on Team BJJ Fanatics, which has Craig Jones as the captain and Nick Rodriguez, Lachlan Giles, and Edwin Najmi as the other team members. You can read more about the event here.
Ryan has been out of the competitive scene for a while due to a knee injury he sustained against Joao Gabriel Rocha at Kasai six months ago. While Ryan has assured his followers that he’d be well enough to compete at ADCC this year, his decision to compete at Kinektic with just a few days’ notice comes as a surprise to many who were expecting him to take a bit more time off.
Kinektic will stream live on UFC Fight Pass on August 16 at 10 p.m. EST.
