Nicky Ryan

Nicky Ryan was born in 2001 in New Jersey, United States, with the full name Nick Ryan; his jiu-jitsu lineage runs through Renzo Gracie and John Danaher to him.⁠[1]

In 2016, aged 15, he competed against adults at the North American ADCC Trials, winning his first two matches with heel hooks before Jason Hayden submitted him with an armbar in the semifinal; he took third place.⁠[2]

He had taken two bronze medals at ADCC trials; when Justin Rader withdrew at the last minute before the 2017 ADCC World Championship, he was called up as a replacement, and he later said he had not been nervous but had not performed as he wanted.⁠[3]

The late call-up made him the youngest competitor in ADCC history.⁠[4]

His first-round opponent at that world championship was AJ Agazarm.⁠[5]

In 2018 he beat the top 10th PlanetPlanet LabsPlanet Labs (brand name Planet) is a San Francisco-based Earth observation satellite company founded in 2010 by three NASA scientists; it designs, builds and operates a constellation of imaging satellites and provides daily imagery data and analysis of Earth. The company is a public benefit corporation listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker PL.Open the full entry representative Geo Martinez at KASAI Pro 2.⁠[5]

He then entered the restructured Polaris featherweight championship, facing Phil Harris in an elimination match.⁠[6]

In December 2018, at Polaris 8 in Cardiff, Wales, he submitted Masakazu Imanari with a rear-naked choke in the no-gi featherweight (65.8 kg) bout to win a Polaris belt.⁠[7]

On May 25, 2019, at Polaris 10 in Poole, United Kingdom, streamed on UFCUFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Las Vegas, United States. It began in 1993 as a no-holds-barred fighting tournament and gradually entered the mainstream after the Fertitta brothers’ Zuffa bought it for $2 million in 2001; it was sold for about $4 billion in 2016 to a consortium led by WME-IMG, and in 2023 it merged with WWE to form the publicly traded TKO Group Holdings, where as of 2026 it is one of the largest businesses by revenue.Open the full entry Fight Pass, he defeated Urijah Faber by unanimous decision to retain the featherweight title.⁠[8]

In 2019 he beat world champion Jamil Hill-Taylor in the opening round of the ADCC World Championship before losing to the eventual bronze medalist Paulo Miyao.⁠[9]

That year John Danaher promoted him, then 18, to brown belt.⁠[10]

On October 2, 2020, he submitted Tony Ramos with a heel hook 23 seconds into a Who’s Number One (WNO) welterweight match, the fastest submission in WNO history.⁠[9]

In 2020 John Danaher promoted him, aged 19, and Ethan Crelinsten to black belt in the “blue basement”; by then he had already beaten veterans including Geo Martinez, Masakazu Imanari and JZ Cavalcante.⁠[4]

In 2021 he beat the decorated wrestler PJ Barch at WNO, bringing his record there to 3–1, and was ranked No. 4 at welterweight.⁠[11]

After the Danaher Death Squad announced its breakup, Craig JonesCraig JonesCraig Jones is an Australian Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and submission grappler, a two-time ADCC World Championship runner-up, a co-founder of B-Team Jiu Jitsu and, from 2024, the founder of the Craig Jones Invitational with its million-dollar prizes.Open the full entry said on July 26, 2021, that he would keep training with Nicky Ryan, Nick RodriguezNick RodriguezNick Rodriguez (Nicky Rod) is an American submission grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with a wrestling background who began jiu-jitsu only in 2018, took silver in the +99kg division of the ADCC World Championship as a blue belt in 2019 and again in 2022, and won the over-80kg division of the first Craig Jones Invitational in 2024; he is one of the co-founders of B-Team Jiu Jitsu.Open the full entry and Ethan Crelinsten, forming B-Team in Austin, Texas, which aimed to open in early September.⁠[12]

He is one of B-Team’s founding members.⁠[13]

In September 2022 he competed as an invitee for B-Team in the 77 kg division of the ADCC World Championship, losing to Renato Canuto 5–0 on points in the opening round.⁠[14]

On March 6, 2023, he appeared with Craig Jones and Nicky Rod on episode #363 of the Lex FridmanLex FridmanLex Fridman is a Soviet-born, US-raised computer scientist and podcast host who works as an MIT research scientist on human-AI interaction and autonomous driving. His Lex Fridman Podcast is known for hours-long conversations with guests including heads of state and technology leaders.Open the full entry Podcast as founders of B-Team, discussing B-Team, the Danaher Death Squad, training and advice for beginners.⁠[15]

He recalled that his brother Gordon Ryan, six years his senior, kept urging him to try jiu-jitsu and that he started at 13; he also said the brothers were close growing up.⁠[16]

On August 10, 2023, he defeated Rene Sousa by unanimous decision at a WNO event at the Palmer Events Center in Austin, Texas.⁠[17]

At the 2023 ADCC East Coast Trials he entered the 77 kg final as the No. 1 seed on a six-submission streak but lost to Elijah Dorsey by decision.⁠[18]

In February 2024 he was invited to the 77 kg division of the 2024 ADCC World Championship, which would be his fourth appearance there; he had also been on the winning B-Team Bulls at QUINTET.4 and was ranked 10th in the world at 170 lb.⁠[19]

In August 2024 he competed in the under-80 kg division of the first Craig Jones Invitational, losing to Andrew Tackett by unanimous decision in the round of 16.⁠[20]

In August 2025, at Craig Jones Invitational 2, he and Damien Anderson served as coaches of B-Team Jiu-Jitsu.⁠[21]

Instagram: Public account: https://instagram.com/nickyryanbjj/ (opens in a new window)⁠[15]

B-Team Jiu Jitsu: Official website: https://bteamjj.com/ (opens in a new window)⁠[15]