American grappling sensation Gordon Ryan made headlines for his crazy reverse body transformation two weeks ago. He appeared to have lost a significant amount of muscle mass and looked downsized in a major way. In a recent Instagram post, Ryan sparked rumors of potential steroid use after he shared another physique update with an absolutely ripped midsection.
Gordon Ryan started training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) at the age of 15 and soon joined prolific trainer John Danaher and fellow standouts Tom deBlass and Garry Tonon. His potential was evident from the start as he quickly worked his way up the ranks as a brown belt competitor. Eventually, he earned a black belt from his mentor Tonon in Feb. 2016. He racked up wins over several top-ranking grapplers like world champion Yuri Simoes and Keenan Cornelius.
Ryan came out on top of the 2017 ADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Club) World Championship in the -88-kg weight division, beating the likes of Dillon Danis, Romulo Barrel, and Cornelius. He came close to winning the absolute division but fell short to Felipe Pena in the final.
As a BJJ contender, Ryan formed a team of all-stars under coach Danaher, aptly named The Danaher Death Squad. He joined Team Alpha Male, a pioneering mixed martial arts academy founded and led by former champion Urijah Faber. He led the team to victory in Quintet’s 2018 Tournament with submission wins over Craig Jones and Vitor Ribeiro.
‘The King’ suffered a knee injury and tore his LCL in his victory over Joao Gabriel Rocha at KASAI Super Series in 2019. The injury forced him to the sidelines for nearly six months. He picked up another major injury in a freak accident a few months later but it didn’t stop him from scoring gold at the ADCC in the -99-kg division.
Gordon Ryan established his status as a dominant no-gi grappling expert with an affinity for no-time limit submission-only matches. In 2021, Ryan signed with combat sports promotion ONE Championship. However, he didn’t make his debut under the banner due to health challenges. He needed to take a brief hiatus after his long-time stomach issues worsened.
Ryan created history at the 2022 ADCC by securing the top prize in the +99-kg division and in the super fight against Andre Galvao. It marked the first time an athlete competed in both the superfight and the weight category. He also recorded the fastest submission time in ADCC’s history with an 11-second heel hook finish of Roosevelt Sousa.
Earlier this year, Ryan pulled out of his scheduled outing with Pena due to his battle with stomach issues. He revealed that he suffered a serious case of Strep throat as a result of taking penicillin in May. As his stomach issues worsened, surgery was required to fix his deviated septum.
On May 30, Ryan left the fans stunned with an unbelievable reverse body transformation. He reported a negative reaction to overusing antibiotics and looked like a far cry from his usual jacked self. The change led to speculation from fans about whether the sudden change was a result of stopping steroid use instead of just poor gut health.
Gordon Ryan ignites rumors of steroid use after insane body transformation
In a recent Instagram post, Gordon Ryan shared a jacked body transformation showing off his huge build after seemingly recovering from his previous update.
While many are quick to assume the change is purely due to discontinuing and reusing steroids, it’s hard to imagine such a drastic shift in his physique in a matter of days. There is a high chance other factors such as lighting, posing, pump, diet intake, and camera trickery play a part in highlighting image contrast. It could also be his physique returning back to his original body composition, which would not have been possible had he not been in excellent shape in the first place.
“Lotta cockroaches out there who haven’t won anything or done anything in their pathetic lives with my name in their mouth all the time,” wrote Ryan. “Soon, all theyll be able to talk about is the greatness that will soon transpire. Limp ďìćƙ móťĥéŕfùçķéŕš.”
“TLDR: I’m back on roids,” commented one.
“Back on roids again?” said a user.
Another responded, “Damn bro whats yo cycle im trynna get like u bro.”
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Gordon Ryan appears to be inching closer to a full recovery with the latest update. While he will likely miss out on competition this year, fans are excited to see him return once he’s fit and ready.