After a lengthy lay off due to illness and contractual issues, Gordon Ryan is back and more motivated than ever to jump into the pro grappling competition scene. 

Ryan– the 2018 ADCC 88kg champion and absolute silver medalist– only competed once in 2018, a no-gi match against Vinny Magalhaes in April. 

Signed to an exclusive contract with controversial Chechen promotion ACB, Ryan was sidelined since then with MRSA, stomach issues relating to the medication he had to take, and a lack of opportunities given to him to compete. 

“I haven't been competing as often as I should because I was supposed to compete once a month from August until January for ACB. They only do gi events in the first half of the year and I wasn’t ready to fight the top guys but I still wanted to compete a lot.” 

In addition to no gi superfights, Ryan has long promised he will make his gi debut soon.

Ryan was preparing for the upcoming no-gi season, which runs from August to January. ACB is undergoing a series of issues that include internal dissatisfaction with the state of the company’s events. In early July the ACB president Zaurbek Khasiev publicly criticized his athletes for unsatisfactory performances and cancelled all future events. As of now, there are no scheduled future events. 

“I need to be more active than they are allowing me,” said Ryan, who is considered one of the hottest commodities in the pro grappling scene. 

From 2017-2018 Gordon Ryan was notorious for calling out some of the biggest names in the sport for matches with $10,000 on the line. Ryan is a four-time EBI champion, reigning KSAI Pro champion and veteran of many no-gi events and challenge matches. 

READ MORE: Gordon Ryan Reveals 2019 Plan to Compete in Gi And Recent Battles with MRSA

WATCH: Gordon Ryan workout