Nick Rodriguez Wants A USADA-Tested EBI Rules Match Against Gordon Ryan
Nick Rodriguez Wants A USADA-Tested EBI Rules Match Against Gordon Ryan
After his UFC Invitational tournament win Nick Rodriguez has challenged his former teammate Gordon Ryan - but "The King" wants to continue calling the shots
Gordon Ryan and Nick Rodriguez have people buzzing about the possibility of a third fight between the two grapplers after a recent call out with a few interesting stipulations. After Nick's recent UFC Fight Pass Invitational tournament win, an accomplishment that earned him a $30,000 grand prize, the two-time ADCC finalist took the opportunity to make his case for a rematch with Gordon Ryan. The catch? He wants USADA testing and an EBI-style match with a ten minute regulation.
After defeating Team New Wave athlete Dan Manasoiu in overtime by way of rear naked choke, Nick had this to say;
“You see this physique right? You’ve got this guy named Gordon Ryan, who keeps accusing me of being on steroids, right? So let’s do this, all the accusations, let’s do a 10-minute match, EBI overtime - but with a catch. Let’s both pass USADA tests before and after competition. Pretty fair right? He’s accusing, I’m showing up and competing. Let’s get it done.”
Gordon, who has not competed since their December meeting due to a debilitating stomach condition and complications from an infection, did not take the bait for the match. Instead, he contends that as the winner of the series so far he calls the shots on any potential third bout.
“Everybody wants a payday. Me and Nicky Rod will compete again for sure, but it’s gonna be in a tournament where he gets no relevancy off my name and he doesn’t make any money losing to me for the third time in a row. He’s trying to make the rules. You’re a brown belt and you won a random tournament? You don’t call the shots and you’re not making any more money off my name."
When asked if he intended to enter USADA testing, Gordon denied Nick's request and said he had a contract for out of competition testing en-route to Rodriguez.
“First of all, no, because steroids are not illegal in jiu-jitsu. And number two, I actually have a contract coming to Nicky Rod from USADA and WADA testing from now until the next ADCC, it will be interesting to see if he’s gonna sign that. I make the rules, I name the time, I name the place, I name the ruleset because I’ve earned that. I can actually win matches.
You can see the entire press conference here.
After a few years of training together, the two grapplers have faced off twice now in competition with Gordon winning both matches. In the 2022 ADCC World Championship +99kg finals, Gordon submitted Nicky with an outside heel hook from an inside ashi a few minutes into the action. After a planned Vinny Magalhaes match fell through with Gordon at a UFC Fight Pass Invitational late that year, Nick filled in late notice and took the EBI match to escapes where Gordon was able to win again.
Watch Their First Meeting In The World Championship Finals
Still, the EBI match was notably closer than the ADCC match and it is probably Nick's best ruleset (considering his skill with back attacks and escapes). A ten minute EBI round would make it a lot more likely Nicky could make it to the overtimes, especially considering that their original EBI bout was double that regulation time. Many are focusing on the USADA part of the offer, but the rules are just as consequential - if not more so.
Is this match on the horizon for these two elite athletes? Will they be able to come to some kind of agreement?