Last Updated on February 17, 2026 by Pragjyoti Singh
Jiu-jitsu icon Gordon Ryan caught the entire UFC community off guard when he claimed he knew the strategy to beat UFC champ Khamzat Chimaev and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s wrestling style. During an episode of the OverDogs podcast, Ryan claimed that the two MMA icons were “not the best wrestlers,” and even declared that they would lose if they ever competed in ADCC.
In response, Chimaev scoffed at Ryan’s comments in an Instagram post, calling it “big bullsh-t.” Now, the UFC Champ’s grappling coach, Alan do Nascimento, responded to Gordon Ryan’s comment on the Real MMA Today podcast, making a big revelation on the BJJ ace’s strategy to tackle Chimaev’s wrestling.
Khamzat Chimaev’s grappling coach responds to Gordon Ryan’s statement
Gordon Ryan claimed the key to beating the wrestling heavy approach followed by the likes of Chimaev was a combination of Granby rolls and hesiting.
“The combination of heisting, a series of Granbys to get up and away, is the best combination, and then throwing submissions in there, like a leg lock off of those Granbys. Using a combination of heisting, submissions, and rolling is the way to beat people,” he claimed.
In response, Nascimento, who has been coaching ‘Borz’ for nine years and most recently cornered the Chechen at UFC 319 against Dricus du Plessis, surprisingly claimed the ‘idea was good’, but also explained why it wouldn’t work against the current UFC middleweight champ.
“His idea is good,” the Brazilian said, “but I think he forgets that for people to become one guy that is able to do all these things together the way he does it takes a long time.”
For the combat layman, Gordon Ryan is one of the most decorated grapplers in the history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The 30-year-old is a 7-Time ADCC World Champion in multiple weight classes, a 3-Time IBJJF No-Gi World Champion, and is credited with popularizing modern leg-lock systems and systematic grappling under the tutelage of coach John Danaher.
Nascimento did give credit to Ryan while breaking down why the BJJ wizard’s idea just wouldn’t work. “No guy in the UFC has Gordon Ryan’s skills on the ground. The idea in theory is good, but in reality, it’s different.” he said.
He claimed the added element of strikes in an MMA fight changes the entire scenario of what Ryan described. “If the guy is gonna react those ways, in theory it works well, you know. But when it comes to punches, kicks, knees, and elbows, it’s hard to grapple when these things are happening. And trust me, I know what I’m talking about.”
“The idea is good, but it’s not easy to find someone to put all these together under the MMA reactions. It’s possible, yes, but things are gonna happen, especially now, after I see it. (Ryan’s clip),” he continued.
Throughout Chimaev’s career, former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman stands alone as the only opponent capable of matching him in the wrestling department.
When is Khamzat Chimaev’s next UFC fight
‘Borz’ last fought against Dricus du Plessis on 16 August 2025, where he won the UFC 185 lbs belt in a one-sided domination of the South African. After he confirmed an injury that would keep him out of action till Ramadan, Chimaev has faced criticism from the likes of Sean Strickland who accused the current champ of stalling the division.
The Chechen was also seen cornering Arman Tsarukyan last year in Qatar when the latter won his lightweight bout against Dan Hooker.
While there is no official word on his first title defense, the 31-year-old was recently mentioned by du Plessis, who insists a rematch would end much differently than their first encounter.
I’m a lifelong MMA enthusiast with a passion for covering the sport’s biggest stories through an unbiased lens. With five years of experience in the MMA media industry, I aim to deliver the highest standard of journalism while covering the UFC and its biggest stars for a global audience. In addition to MMA, I also cover boxing and am an avid soccer (football) fan.
I also have a healthy social media presence and my MMA pages at the time of writing this has over 25K followers on multiple platforms.
You can reach out on my Linkedin for professional services and promotion.