Gordon Ryan Talks About His Match With Bo Nickal After Third Coast Grappling 3
Gordon Ryan submitted NCAA Wrestling Champion Bo Nickal by triangle choke in the main event of Third Coast Grappling III. The superfight between two of the biggest names in their respective sports was conducted under a hybrid ruleset and put the sports of submission grappling and freestyle wrestling center stage.
Ryan, the 2019 ADCC -99KG and Absolute Champion, said he was excited to go in and compete against [Nickal] under this hybrid ruleset.
“One of the things I’m trying to showcase is the transition between ground grappling and standing grappling,” Ryan said. “We don’t do freestyle or collegiate wrestling, per se. We do scrimmage wrestling where it’s a mix of jiu-jitsu submissions with wrestling. ”
In his debut onto the submission grappling scene, Nickal’s game plan was pretty clear -- avoid falling into Ryan’s traps. The Team USA wrestler, who took the match on less than three weeks’ notice, resisted the urge to shoot, as Ryan baited him for most of the match. Finally, temptation got to the 3x NCAA Champ, after Ryan turned around and offered Nickal his back in what seemed like a play on Donkey Guard. Nickal proceeded to launch Ryan in the air with a highlight reel suplex.
Bo Nickal’s Suplex of Gordon Ryan that got the match to the ground at Third Cost Grappling 3
Shortly after they went to the ground, Ryan cinched in the dual triangle/arm bar attempt, eventually finishing the choke.
“I feel like I used the interplay between jiu-jitsu and wrestling really well,” Ryan said. “I actually got relatively close to a double leg -- he managed to sprawl and he got out -- but I actually got to his legs on a decent shot. Then, I actually put him down with three or four kani-basamis, and he put me down with the one suplex. I actually put him down more than he put me down, which is exciting for me. That’s my main thing right now, which is trying to exploit the weakness of standing grappling in our sport.”
After the grappling vs. Wrestling showcase at 3CG3, Ryan would like to continue adding superfights with high level wrestlers to his already loaded competition schedule. In 2020, Ryan envisions a three-match series with USA Wrestling world team member Pat Downey, under three separate rulesets -- one freestyle match, one no-time limit submission grappling match, and one match under a hybrid ruleset similar to 3CG3.
Downey is currently set to face fellow Renzo Gracie standout Nick Rodriguez at Third Coast Grappling IV on March 7 in a hybrid ruleset. The 10th ranked wrestler in the world at 86kg, Downey defeated Rodriguez in a freestyle match by way of technical fall.
After that, Ryan would like to get Downey in his crosshairs at some point in 2020. He’s just not sure which platform would carry the event,
“I’m not sure yet, who ever wants to pay me,” Ryan said. “Maybe I’ll do my own pay-per-view, we’ll see. I was talking to the Flowrestling and the Flograppling guys. Maybe do a pay-per-view with BJJ Fanatics, I’m not sure.”
Aside from helping grow the sports of freestyle wrestling and submission grappling, Ryan wants to remain as active as possible. After spending much of 2019 on the sidelines with a torn ACL, Ryan has spent the final months of the year active in competition. Following 3CG3, Ryan accepted a superfight against UFC Heavyweight Aleksei Oleinik on Dec. 14. A week later, Ryan will take on former UFC Heavyweight champion Gabriel Gonzaga at Submission Underground. And already announced for 2020, Ryan will be returning to Third Coast Grappling, where he will headline the March 14 event against Patrick Gaudio.
“I’m just trying to stay active, trying to get superfights and win, you know, do what I do,” Ryan said. “But until then, it’s just get better and whatever pops up, pops up.”