Alright, let’s talk about this Gordon Ryan versus Dillon Danis thing. It’s been buzzing around for ages, right? So, I decided to actually dig into it myself, see what the whole fuss was about beyond the usual internet noise.
First thing I did, I went back and found their match. The one from ADCC, years ago now. I sat down and watched it properly, not just the highlights. You gotta see the whole thing to get a feel for it. Watched it a couple of times, actually. It was pretty clear, even back then, Gordon had the edge technically. Just seemed way more methodical, step-by-step.
Then, I started looking into all the talk surrounding them. Man, there’s a lot. Dillon Danis, especially, knows how to stir the pot. I spent some time just reading through old interviews, watching press conference clips, that kind of stuff. It’s almost a different sport, the talking game versus the grappling game.
Digging into their styles
So after watching the match and soaking in the drama, I tried to break down their actual grappling styles a bit, based on what I’ve seen over the years, not just that one match.
- Gordon Ryan: I watched some of his instructional snippets, stuff people share around. His approach seems super systematic. It’s all about positions, control, submissions chained together. Very technical, almost like watching a scientist work. I even tried mimicking some of his passing sequences during rolling at my gym. Let me tell you, executing it under pressure is a whole different ball game than watching it.
- Dillon Danis: Finding recent high-level grappling footage of Danis was tougher. A lot of his focus seems to have shifted. From what I remember and could find, his style felt a bit more… opportunistic? Maybe scrambly? Definitely relies on confidence and trying to impose his game, but technically, compared to Gordon’s recent stuff, it just doesn’t look as deep.
I spent a good afternoon just comparing clips, thinking about how different their approaches are. Gordon seems obsessed with the pure mechanics of jiu-jitsu, refining every little detail. Dillon seems more focused on the fight itself, the hype, getting into his opponent’s head. Both valid ways to approach combat sports, I guess, but with very different results on the mats lately.
My Takeaway
After spending time watching their old match, digging through the endless talk, and comparing what I could find of their grappling, here’s what I ended up thinking. Gordon, technically, is just operating on another level right now. The dedication to the craft is obvious. You see the results consistently against top guys.
Dillon? He’s a master promoter. He got famous, made noise, and you gotta respect the hustle in a way. He understands how to get eyes on him. But based purely on the grappling I looked at and compared? It feels like they’re in different leagues right now when it comes to pure BJJ skill.
So, yeah, that was my process. Watched the fight, waded through the talk, compared styles based on available footage, and formed my own opinion. It’s clear who the better grappler is right now, but the whole saga shows there’s more to the fight game than just technique sometimes. Still, I personally prefer watching the technical mastery unfold on the mats.
