Gordon Ryan Criticizes Musumeci’s Win Over Machado
Gordon Ryan’s response to Mikey Musumeci’s December 2024 Fight Pass Invitational 9 win over Felipe Machado was critical, not complimentary. Musumeci won 2–0 in overtime on points, and Ryan posted that the performance confirmed his view that Musumeci was overrated. Their public feud later cooled: in August 2025, they said they had spoken and cleared up a misunderstanding. As of October 2026, Musumeci has vacated his bantamweight title to prioritize MMA training.
Musumeci edges Machado at FPI 9
The December 5, 2024 main event in Las Vegas ended with Musumeci defeating Machado 2–0 in overtime on points. It was Musumeci’s debut under his new grappling deal. The bout was a close, defense-heavy contest.
Ryan’s actual reaction
Ryan was part of the event’s commentary team. Afterward, he criticized Musumeci in an Instagram story, saying he had predicted several of Musumeci’s mistakes and using the result to argue that fans had overrated him.
The disagreement was part of a wider dispute about performance-enhancing drugs in jiu-jitsu. Musumeci had publicly accused many athletes, including Ryan, of using PEDs; Ryan responded that inconsistent rules across organizations make testing difficult. In August 2025, Ryan and Musumeci said they had talked directly and were friends again, describing their feud as a misunderstanding fueled by media coverage.
Musumeci’s current direction
Musumeci held the bantamweight title before vacating it in October 2026 to focus on MMA training. He has not announced an MMA debut date and says he will continue to take selected grappling super-fights. That career change marks a new chapter from the Fight Pass Invitational match that prompted Ryan’s original criticism.
Sources
- the promotion: FPI 9 results…
- MMA Mania: Ryan’s critical social-media reaction
- MMA Fighting: Ryan explains his dispute with Musumeci
- MMA Mania: Ryan and Musumeci call a truce in August 2025
- MMA Mania: Musumeci vacates the grappling promotion title to prioritize MMA
