Gordon Ryan's return to IBJJF competition couldn't have been better. 

The 23-year-old black belt submitted his way to gold in both his weight division and the absolute, tapping out the talented Kaynan Duarte of Atos in the openweight final with a rear naked choke. 

Ryan had to contend with a number of pullouts that left him competing in a total of only four matches all day. 

In his weight division Ryan started in the semifinal where he submitted the outmatched veteran Charles Maguire with a tarikaplata after mercifully allowing Maguire to pass his guard. Ryan toyed with Maguire, even letting him take fully extended submissions only to easily escape and reassert control. The scoreboard read 29-9 in Ryan's favor when the submission came. 

Ryan went up against +250lb Max Gimenis of GF Team, who had fought his way into the ultra-heavyweight final by beating Kaynan Duarte via referees' decision. Ryan submitted him with a rear naked choke.

Versus Kaynan Duarte. 

When it came time for the absoute, Ryan would have had four matches total. His first opponent, Fred Silva, no showed. His next, Diogo Moreno, got hurt in his match with Aaron "Tex" Johnson and had to withdraw, putting Ryan directly into the semifinal and once again facing Gimenis. Again, Ryan took the back and submitted him with a rear naked choke. 

The final versus Kaynan Duarte was a much more back and forth affair, with Kaynan's tricky use of the 50-50 guard putting him ahead on the scoreboard. Duarte came close to securing the back at one point in a transition reminiscent of when Felipe Pena got the position in the ADCC final. But Ryan's showed great calm in escaping and resuming his steady pressure from top, passing the guard and getting to the back before finishing with a match-ending rear naked choke. 

Ryan was cheered on by brother Nicky and teammates Garry Tonon, Jake Shields, Ethan Crelinsten and more. This marks Ryan's first return to IBJJF rules competition since November of 2015 when he won No-Gi Worlds as a brown belt. 

WATCH: Ultra-heavyweight division

Gordon Ryan vs Charles Maguire

Gordon Ryan vs Max Gimenis 

WATCH: Openweight division

Gordon Ryan vs Max Gimenis

Gordon Ryan vs Kaynan Duarte