Nicky Ryan

Nicky Ryan (full name Nick Ryan) was born on June 27, 2001, in New Jersey, United States. He is the younger brother of multi-time ADCC champion Gordon Ryan. Influenced by Gordon, he first tried Brazilian jiu-jitsu at a local club around age eight, but trained only sporadically and soon drifted away. A serious return in early 2015—pushed by his brother’s rising career—unlocked rapid progress. Training with heel hooks from the first month, he was already sweeping adult tournaments as a 13-year-old and quickly became a known name on grappling forums.

Balancing high school with full-time training proved difficult, so in 2016 he left traditional school and was homeschooled while coach John Danaher—himself a Columbia University philosophy graduate—supported his education. That same year, at 15, Ryan took third at the ADCC US East Coast Trials. Another East Coast podium and West Coast bronze in 2017 earned him an invitation to the ADCC World Championships in Finland. At 16 he became the youngest athlete ever to compete at ADCC (at the time), a landmark for the sport’s youth pipeline even though he exited early in the −66 kg bracket.

Under Danaher at Renzo Gracie Academy’s Danaher Death Squad (DDS) group in New York, Ryan progressed unusually fast: purple belt on June 21, 2017 (age 16), brown on October 9, 2019, and black belt on November 3, 2020—the same day as training partner Ethan Crelinsten. On the pro circuit he won the Polaris Invitational 145 lb title in 2018 and 2019, captured the 2019 ADCC US West Coast Trials (−66 kg), and reached the ADCC 2019 quarterfinals after a points win over Shane Jamil Hill-Taylor before falling to Paulo Miyao. Signature finishes and decision wins against established names (including Urijah Faber at Polaris and later WNO superfights) cemented his reputation as a technical no-gi prodigy with a high submission rate, especially leg locks and back attacks.

When the DDS dissolved in 2021, Ryan left with several teammates amid a well-publicized family and team split involving Gordon Ryan and Danaher. He co-founded B-Team in Austin, Texas, alongside Craig Jones, Ethan Crelinsten, Nicky Rodriguez, and others. Persistent knee injuries—including ACL damage sustained around the 2021 Road to ADCC campaign—forced him to adapt his game for years while still competing at −77 kg, including ADCC 2022 (first-round loss to Renato Canuto) and a six-submission run to silver at the 2023 ADCC US East Coast Trials. In 2024 he submitted JT Torres by straight ankle lock at WNO 23, received an ADCC Worlds invite at −77 kg, then withdrew to enter the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational (lost a decision to Andrew Tackett in the opening round).

Known for open-guard play, systematic leg entanglements, body-lock and high-step passing, and back control, Ryan is also credited within B-Team circles with innovative finishing ideas such as the “Nickotine.” Soft-spoken and detail-oriented, he has become a central technical voice and coach at B-Team while continuing to produce instructionals (including for BJJ Fanatics) and recover toward full competitive form after reconstructive knee surgery reported in early 2025.