Gordon Ryan, an acclaimed Brazilian jiu-jitsu grappler, is grappling with medical issues that necessitated surgery and the road to recovery seems unknown. Ryan shared that he was hospitalized after contracting severe strep throat following a trip to Abu Dhabi. He had to endure multiple rounds of antibiotics, but his throat continued to swell shut. Unfortunately, treatment failed until he eventually had to undergo tonsillectomy surgery.

“I’m not sure when I’ll be competing again,” wrote Ryan. Ryan added that he was on over 40 days of antibiotics, but the treatment wasn’t effective until he tried clindamycin, which finally worked. However, Ryan was unable to train during this period and was in a lot of ear pain that prevented him from elevating his heart rate.

Regrettably, Ryan’s health problems worsened, exacerbating stomach issues that started as a fungal growth in his small intestine, and he described it as feeling like having “the worst hangover you’ve ever had.” Unfortunately, these issues worsened while receiving treatment for his throat, further sidelining him from training and competitions.

Ryan’s last competition was in December 2020 against a short notice opponent. Still, he had to back out of his February competition against his longtime rival, Felipe Pena, due to his medical issues. Ryan had entered into a multimillion-dollar deal to join the FloGrappling Who’s Number One Series, but he hasn’t been able to compete as his health issues have kept him indefinitely out of action.