Gordon Ryan overcame 100lb weight difference to 'humble' World's Strongest Man Thor Bjornsson and make him quit
12/30/2024 05:45 PM
BJJ wiz Gordon Ryan gave former ‘World’s Strongest Man’ Thor Bjornsson a rare moment of feeling small.
Rolling with Gordon Ryan is a tall task for anyone, especially someone around his size and stature. The 29-year-old Ryan is regarded as one of the main faces of submission grappling, after winning multiple ADCC world championships and dominating his opponents.
Despite the challenges associated with grappling Ryan, former ‘World’s Strongest Man’ winner Thor Bjornsson met up with Ryan in 2022 to see for himself. Just hours before Ryan competed against Nicky Rodriguez at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 3, Bjornsson did some live rolling with Ryan.
Standing at 6’9″, Bjornsson is a behemoth in comparison to the 6’2″ Ryan. But despite the size discrepancy, Bjornsson was the overwhelmed side in his rolls with Ryan.
Gordon Ryan smothered Thor Bjornsson during a viral grappling roll
Ryan didn’t have any issues quickly transitioning positions against Bjornsson, despite the obvious physical challenges the 2019 World’s Strongest Man presented. Ryan repeatedly took down Bjornsson and humbled him on the mats.
In a 2022 appearance on The MMA Hour, Ryan reacted to rolling with Bjornsson.
“Thor's a lot bigger and longer. Obviously, just the strongest guy you're ever going to touch from every position, but believe it or not, the mechanics and the body position mean a lot more than the overall strength,” Ryan said. “When you have misplaced strength, you tend to not feel as strong as you are. I've trained with so many guys who are so strong in the gym, but they feel like children on the mats.
"This is now perfect for me because whenever I get into an argument with an idiot who is like, 'I'm just too strong for that s*** to work on me,' I can be like, 'Well, I literally grappled the strongest person on the planet, and I can assure you that it worked.'" (h/t MMA Fighting)
Gordon Ryan is a big reason for submission grappling’s growth
Ryan was a prominent influence in UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ recent fight camp for UFC 309. Despite calls for him to pursue MMA full-time, Ryan is content on continuing to set standards and break records in submission grappling.
In reaction to the Ryan/Bjornsson roll, UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre pointed to Ryan as one of the few men on the planet who intimidates him. St-Pierre has spent time training with Ryan under coach John Danaher in Texas.
As 2025 approaches, Ryan is looking ahead to another eventful year in submission grappling. As for Bjornsson, while he’s still considered one of the strongest men in the world, Ryan physically humbled him in a way seldom experienced in his life.
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