Gordon Ryan Making Commentary Debut at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5
Gordon Ryan, one of the most dominant grapplers in the world, is set to make his commentary debut on the upcoming UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5 event. This is a highly anticipated event for fans of BJJ and grappling, and Ryan’s presence is sure to add an extra layer of excitement.
Ryan was initially going to compete against Mason Fowler in the event but had to withdraw due to injury. Fowler will face Haisam Rida in place of Ryan who will be at the commentary desk for the event. Ryan, is disappointed about not being able to compete but is using the opportunity to try something new and do a little homework on the level of grappling that is out there.
Ryan said in an interview during the weigh-ins, “I think that just because I’m commentating and a lot of these guys are people that I’ve either competed against before or people I will have to compete against in the future it’ll make me really be kind of in tune with the matches. I won’t be on my phone the whole time, I’ll have to be studying the matches.”
Given his level of success and depth of experience and knowledge, it should be educational for new and novice grapplers who would like to pick the brain of Ryan about the matches.
Ryan added, “ It’ll be good for me as an athlete to study these guys and to kind of break down what they’re doing for the fans. So it’ll just be good overall for me, it’ll be good for the fans to know what’s going on at a very deep, technical level but still at a level where your average fan can understand it. I think it’ll be a good mix of kind of a deep analysis plus just explain to the general audience what’s kind of going on.”
As far as his return to competition, Ryan said he is looking at early next year to get back on the grappling circuit. Under the UFC banner, he knows this could be a good gateway for MMA fans to learn about the intricacies of submission grappling and how it differs from MMA. Ryan is not interested in transitioning to MMA himself, but BJJ has a long history with the sport and Ryan is doing a good job being an ambassador for it with this opportunity.
The UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5 event airs Sunday, December 10 starting at 8 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass with early matches on the UFC’s YouTube channel.
