Chael Sonnen Praises Gordon Ryan’s PED Admission: “Strength Matters”

Chael Sonnen recently weighed in on Gordon Ryan’s controversial statements about performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Sonnen began by highlighting the structural challenges that have allowed PED use to become normalized within Jiu-Jitsu:

There is not a governing body, it is not recognized by the international Olympic Committee or a United States affiliate as an actual sport.

So there is no president, there is no CEO, there is not a leader in Jiu-Jitsu to come out explain the bylaws and moreover give you an interpretation.It is very much the wild west.

Sonnen took aim at a long-standing narrative within martial arts – that technique always trumps physical strength.Drawing from his wrestling background, he challenged this notion:

I was told strength doesn’t matter – it’s about technique, speed, and heart.None of them are true.

Strength matters. Horsepower matters. How big a horse are you?

Sonnen offered a hypothetical situation to better illustrate his point:

If you took possibly the world’s greatest technician in Jiu-Jitsu and you put him with a strong man, a guy that goes up on he lifts a boulder over his head…

The world’s greatest Jiu-Jitsu guy is going to ultimately win.But not in the streets, not under any quantifiable measure.

Sonnen closed by praising Ryan’s honesty:

Good for Gordon.Now you have the GOAT within the sport talking about how important strength really is.