Marcelo Garcia Admits That Gordon Ryan Is Not The Greatest Of All Time “Yet” (In His Eyes)

Marcelo Garcia recently shared his thoughts on Gordon Ryan and the ongoing debate about who deserves the title of the greatest no-gi grappler of all time.

When asked if Ryan deserves the title, Garcia offered a measured response.Here is what he told MMA Fighting:

He’s at the top right now, but it’s hard to say he’s the greatest of all-time.

I don’t want to be a hypocrite here. I know I’ve done a lot.I’ve done a lot being the size I am, 170 pounds, and facing the best in my weight class and the absolute, guys that were bigger than me, and imagining that many people were using steroids.

While Garcia acknowledges that Ryan could one day earn the GOAT title, he emphasizes that this “PEDs vs no PEDs use” distinction is significant:

If he continues to compete and no one beats him, and continues to have the performances he’s putting on, you can’t say (he’s not the GOAT), and he’s young tooOf course he can be that guy.

But I can say all I’ve done was steroid-free.I don’t know that’s the case with Gordon.

To me, that’s a decisive point, if someone needed extra help or not.

Like people say: “That person didn’t come alone.”I was alone every single time, only with my training and my technique.

And when people say: “Oh, but everybody uses it.”Not to me. That excuse doesn’t make sense to me.