Alright, let’s talk about this whole Dillon Danis versus Gordon Ryan thing. I remember when this feud really started blowing up online. You couldn’t avoid it if you followed grappling even a little bit.
So, naturally, I got curious. Not just about the trash talk, everyone saw that. I wanted to actually dig into it, you know, from a practical standpoint. What were these guys actually doing on the mats that made them worth all this noise?
First thing I did was pull up whatever footage I could find of both of them. Started with Danis. I watched some of his earlier grappling matches, the stuff before he went full MMA personality. Then checked out his Bellator fights, looking specifically at his ground game.
What I noticed with Danis:
- He had some slick leg entry attacks, definitely aggressive with those heel hooks early on.
- Seemed very confident, maybe relied on catching guys in transition.
- I actually tried mimicking some of his quick entries during rolling at my gym. It was hit or miss. Felt like you needed perfect timing or maybe just his specific type of explosiveness. It wasn’t something I could easily plug into my game.
Then I switched over to Gordon Ryan. Man, that was different. I went through his ADCC runs, matches against top guys. It was less about flashy single moves and more about… control.
What I saw with Ryan:
- Systematic approach. Passing, getting to dominant positions like the back or mount.
- Insane pressure and positional control. He didn’t seem rushed.
- The submissions came after the control was locked down tight. Leg locks too, but set up differently, felt more methodical.
So I started focusing on that aspect in my own training. Instead of just hunting for subs, I really tried to emphasize holding position. Passing the guard and just staying heavy in side control or mount. Trying to control the back with a body triangle like he does.
It was tough. Way more exhausting than just scrambling. But when I managed it, I felt much more secure. It felt like a more reliable path, at least for my style of rolling.
Looking back at the whole Danis vs Ryan saga, after actually trying to break down their styles and apply bits myself, the online drama faded into the background. For me, the practical exercise was seeing two super high-level guys with really different philosophies on the mat.
One seemed built on explosive opportunities, the other on crushing control and systems. Spending time analyzing and trying to replicate little pieces of both their games actually gave me stuff to work on. It wasn’t about choosing a side in their beef, it was about seeing what I could learn from watching them go about their business, even if that business mostly involved yelling at each other online instead of fighting.
So yeah, that’s my practical experience with the Dillon Danis vs Gordon Ryan thing. Less about the hype, more about spending time watching tape and trying to translate some of it onto the mat myself. Ended up being a decent learning exercise, surprisingly.
