Gordon Ryan felt compelled to respond to Mikey Musumeci’s recent comments.
During the media day for UFC 310, Musumeci expressed his concerns regarding performance-enhancing drugs in jiu-jitsu, claiming that “99 percent” of athletes, including Ryan, are using them.
In a heated exchange, Ryan labeled Musumeci a “dork” and clarified that steroids are not illegal. He elaborated on his reaction during a scrum on Saturday, discussing why he felt the need to defend himself.
“I woke up and he was just attacking me,” Ryan stated. He mentioned their past training together and noted that they had always maintained a cordial relationship. “I talked pretty positively about him on [The Joe Rogan Experience] when I was on there, and I’ve never had anything against Mikey, but he always includes my name in his rants about steroids.”
Ryan continued, “He’ll say my name, then he’ll be like, ‘These guys aren’t athletes,’ or, ‘These guys are mentally weak,’ or whatever the case is. So I let it go for a while, and he just kept on attacking me, so I thought, ‘OK, if we’re going to play that game, let’s play that game.’”
While Ryan disagrees with Musumeci’s approach to discussing performance-enhancing drugs in jiu-jitsu, he does share some of his concerns. However, his perspective on the issue differs significantly.
“The main issue right now with taking performance enhancers out of jiu-jitsu is there’s not one governing body,” Ryan elaborated. “You or I could start a jiu-jitsu tournament tomorrow, and one of us could permit PEDs while the other bans them.”
He explained the complications arising from different organizations having varying rules regarding PEDs. “If one organization makes it illegal, but other organizations allow it, I have to remain clean for your one organization while my competitors in other organizations are not. So, I’m competing against those guys naturally, while they’re using PEDs in other venues.”
Ryan expressed his hope that the jiu-jitsu community can reach a more standardized approach as the sport grows in popularity.
The potential for reconciliation between him and Musumeci may depend on whether the broader community can find common ground.
“It needs to be one thing across the board,” Ryan stressed. “All major tournaments should either legalize or ban PEDs altogether. Otherwise, you’ll have athletes choosing not to participate in certain events.”
He concluded, “If you rectify that and reach an agreement on PED usage, then you can make some progress. However, if only a couple of organizations enforce rules, it’s not going to create a significant change.”
Source link
