Last Updated on February 16, 2026 by Pragjyoti Singh
Gordon Ryan, considered by many to be the GOAT of No Gi Jiu Jitsu, gave his honest assessment of UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov and current middleweight champ Khamzat Chimaev. Ryan, on the Overdogs Podcast, talked about the difference between MMA fighters and pure grapplers, pointing to the fact that the two UFC stars would not be able to compete against BJJ artists in the ADCC.
Gordon Ryan talks about Khabib Nurmagomedov and Khamzat Chimaev’s wrestling
The Caucasus has seen a stark rise in the number of MMA fighters coming out of the region post the successful career Khabib Nurmagomedov was able to forge in the UFC. With Islam Makhachev, Khamzat Chimaev, Merab Dvalishvili, Arman Tsarukyan, and Ilia Topuria leading the line, the UFC has seen a type of dominance from these fighters like never before. Considering the current scenario where wrestlers appear to dominate the UFC rankings, it was just a matter of time till a successful grappler like Gordon Ryan would give his assessment of them.
Currently, Chimaev holds the Middleweight belt after he successfully outwrestled Dricus du Plessis in a lopsided match-up at UFC 319, which was heavily praised by the likes of Jon Anik, but also attracted a fair share of criticism from fans and du Plessis himself due to Chimaev’s wrestling-heavy approach. Islam Makhachev, on the other hand, is expected to defend his welterweight title later this year and recently even agreed to fight Ilia Topuria if the UFC wanted.
Despite their insanely elite wrestling, Gordon Ryan, who has been unarguably the biggest name the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has produced in the last decade, says, “Khabib and Khamzat aren’t the best wrestlers.”
Talking on the OverDogs podcast, the 30-year-old grappler even claimed that they would get ‘beat’ easily if they chose to compete in ADCC.
“They’re not the best wrestlers. They’re not the best freestyle wrestlers in the world, and they’re not the best jiu-jitsu guys in the world,” he continued .”If you put those guys into ADCC, they would get beat pretty easily. But what they’re doing is submission grappling.”
Despite his blunt statement, Ryan explained further, saying it was not their job to be the best wrestler or grappler but rather a well-rounded MMA fighter. “They’re not supposed to be the best wrestlers or the best jiu-jitsu guys – they’re supposed to be the best MMA fighters,” he said.
Although Ryan’s statement does carry weight, one also has to consider Arman Tsarukyan’s recent wrestling display at Real American Freestyle (RAF). The lightweight beat PFL champ and NCAA standout Lance Palmer in a dominant 10-0 technical fall victory.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Dagestani Wrestling vs. BJJ
Ryan’s rival and another decorated BJJ athlete, Craig Jones, too had earlier taken shots at Sambo and Dagestani wrestling. After cornering Jack Della Maddalena successfully against Belal Muhammad, Jones posted multiple Instagram posts with captions like “The one thing every Russian man fears,” and “Sambo and wrestling once again proved to be fake.”
Jones eventually came face-to-face with Islam Makhachev at UFC 322 when the Dagestani faced Maddalena for the welterweight title. Makhachev apparently dropped one of his classic one liner on Jones post the fight.
“I told him your jiu-jitsu is not working. You have to come to Dagestan for 2-3 years,” said Makhachev in the post-fight press conference.
Gordon Ryan, on the other hand, has been far more practical in his statements on the subject. During a Joe Rogan Experience fight companion in 2025, he explained that the dominance of Dagestani MMA styles stems from their comprehensive approach to grappling. Although he then continued to state that there was indeed a stark difference between MMA fighters and elite grapplers.
“There’s such a difference in the technical knowledge and application between world-class grapplers and even high-level MMA competitors who haven’t dedicated the same focused attention to ground fighting,” he stated.
As the debate continues, wrestlers remain the dominant force in MMA. The rise of elite competitors like Khamzat Chimaev and Islam Makhachev to the top of the sport further validates the superior level of wrestling talent currently emerging from the Russian region.
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