Nicky Rod calls out Gordon Ryan for a $2 million grappling match

On Saturday night Nicky "Rod" Rodriguez won $1 million after winning the over 80kg tournament at the first-ever Craig Jones Invitational. After the win, which saw him submit all four of his opponents over two days, Rodriguez called out his nemesis Gordon Ryan who was competing just up the street at ADCC.

“The only thing better than one million dollars is two million dollars,” Rodriguez said during the CJI broadcast. “So let’s do this: I want a bet match with Mr. Gordon Ryan. Because I know in my bones that I’m the actual best grappler on the planet, so let’s do this, Bubba. My $1 million versus your $1 million, winner-take-all bet match. Come get some.”

Nicky Rod calls out Gordon Ryan after winning $1 million at CJI

After the match FanSided MMA spoke with Rodriguez and asked what he plans to do with the $1 million and he doubled down on the call out of Ryan saying, “I mean, I just bet him one million dollars, if it doesn’t happen, it’s all on him."

Rodriguez has been calling out Ryan for years, including on the UFC Fight Pass Invitational shows which both have appeared on. And the pair have competed twice before once under the ADCC banner where Ryan submitted Rodriguez to win the tournament. The other was a UFC Fight Pass Invitational match which ended in a win for Ryan via the fastest escape time.

Ryan had a superfight on Saturday versus Felipe Pena, which he won. He competes on Saturday as well. He'd previously announced he would not be competing outside of ADCC due to health reasons.

CJI was created as a direct message to ADCC for its low fighter pay. Gordon competed in ADCC while Rodriguez competed in CJI, a match together could mean more than just money or a win, it could be a symbol of which grappling promotion really has the best competitors.