GRUDGE REMATCH: Gordan Ryan vs Jordan Tabor 2!

[anaconda]

I'm a regional champion. Look it up. Nowadays, I wear a shirt that says "Heel Hooks" on it, then go heel hook the guys. They can read it too. Still can't stop it. You've got pics, videos, tournament results, witnesses, all going back to 2005. All there for you, some of the wins, some of the losses. Knees are blown, mine and theirs, I lose consciousness a couple times, there's point stalling and sub grappling and all the exact same shit that everyone else is doing. I'm not doing some sort of special jiujitsu that isn't arduous and doesn't work. What sort of sense does that make?

Could you please name the 3 best black belts you've beaten? Or the best black belt you've beaten no-gi and the best you've beaten with a gi on? Just one name for each.

And which region are you a champion of? Who gave you this title? How did you qualify for it?

 

[the heed]

And which region are you a champion of? Who gave you this title? How did you qualify for it?

why do you even bother?

 

[anaconda]

why do you even bother?

If I'm on here, it's probably a slow or boring day at work

 

[the heed]

If I'm on here, it's probably a slow or boring day at work

touche lol

 

[Os3y3ris]

Could you please name the 3 best black belts you've beaten? Or the best black belt you've beaten no-gi and the best you've beaten with a gi on? Just one name for each.

I don't know their names. I just submit guys and keep it moving. Either way, they were IBJJF eligible. One guy was second or third degree. You're trying to do the celebrity BJJ thing, but the average guy out here, skilled or not, isn't a damn celebrity.

And which region are you a champion of? Who gave you this title? How did you qualify for it?

I took the NAGA New England Championships three years in a row. 2013, 2014, 2015. The patch says "New England Champion".

 

[Steve08]

Who has he destroyed, exactly?

You're not going to recognize any of them because they're regional grapplers, which is what I said. Thus, your question seems somewhat arbitrary to me as I said that the people he finishes left and right are regional grapplers. Regardless, he took out this dude:

This dude:

And this dude:

All the same way, all without much trouble. Everyone around here knows that he gets down with heel hooks and regardless, most people who enter the 50/50 with him get finished, quick. I believe all these matches took place in brown/black belt divisions, but I'd have to check records for that. He has definitely won or medaled in at least 2 recent NAGA tourneys at brown/black or "expert" (whatever they refer to that as in No-gi) though.

Here are results from NAGA's own website proving Jordan won these tourneys:

http://nagafighter.com/index.php?module=eventdetailpage/407#

"Mens NO-GI Expert Middle Weight
1st Place Jordan Tabor The Suburbs 120
2nd Place Tyler Rose Marcelo Garcia 90
3rd Place Russell Powers BJJ Revolution 70"

Here are the results from 2014:

http://nagafighter.com/index.php?module=eventdetailpage/344#

"Mens NO-GI Expert Welter Weight
1st Place Jordan Tabor Redline Fight Sports 120
2nd Place Matt Oliva Link 90
3rd Place Nic Miraglivolo Redline Fight Sports 70"

 

[NateTx4112]

He want a fucking NAGA and claims regional championships?!?!

Jesus Tap Dancing Christ....

And he thinks if he was "allowed" to do IBJJF he'd be a champ in 2 years? Champ of what division exactly?

 

[Os3y3ris]

NAGA no gi advanced starts at purple. At least one of those guys is a wrestler. The guy in the middle is a black belt with Team Link. Same squad that knocked my squad out of NAGA Boston. Serious team. The other major victory at black was right before promotion, and in fact, the reason for the promotion in the first place. A second or third degree black belt was defeated at NAGA after BTT pulled some shenanigans with the bracketing. Rolling toe hold. That was NAGA New England 2013, which saw me as a regional black belt champion. The next gi championship I took was the Good Fight Boston Open where I defeated the guy above and a brown belt. From there I've placed at many NAGAs, and defeated a few other opponents in tournaments and superfights. I fight anywhere between purple and black depending on the division.

 

[Os3y3ris]

He want a fucking NAGA and claims regional championships?!?!

Jesus Tap Dancing Christ....

And he thinks if he was "allowed" to do IBJJF he'd be a champ in 2 years? Champ of what division exactly?

Yeah, NAGA hosts regional championships. People train for them, pay their money, fly up from Mexico, Brazil, etc. and take it seriously. The teams and affiliations involved were the same teams and affiliations and the EXACT SAME PEOPLE that comprise the IBJJF. They're not magically more elite when they do IBJJF tournaments. It's the same folks. The idea that NAGA sucks is just marketing. Let me into black belt adult, I'll figure out how its done, lose a shit ton of matches for two to three years straight and then crush the second or third year. While you have your stars, the majority of these divisions are packed with the other guys.

 

[Steve08]

He want a fucking NAGA and claims regional championships?!?!

Jesus Tap Dancing Christ....

Would you compete in a promotion where your A-game is literally illegal?

 

[yetanother]

Why are those dudes Tabor tapped competing in competitions with legal heel hooks yet have no idea how to deal with them?

 

[Uchi Mata]

Yeah, NAGA hosts regional championships. People train for them, pay their money, fly up from Mexico, Brazil, etc. and take it seriously. The teams and affiliations involved were the same teams and affiliations and the EXACT SAME PEOPLE that comprise the IBJJF. They're not magically more elite when they do IBJJF tournaments. It's the same folks. The idea that NAGA sucks is just marketing. Let me into black belt adult, I'll figure out how its done, lose a shit ton of matches for two to three years straight and then crush the second or third year. While you have your stars, the majority of these divisions are packed with the other guys.

That's delusional dude. Gordan Ryan isn't out winning ADCC, he's good but hardly a top guy, and he completely tooled you in what you claim is your A game. You think that wouldn't happen against the Rafa Mendes's of the world in the gi? You seem pretty decent and I don't give two shits how you got your black belt if you can back it up (which it seems like you can), but all the IBJJF drama just sounds like an excuse when you also say that you could be a Mundials champ in a few years. Let me tell you, the guys winning IBJJF tournaments tool guys like Gordan the same way he tooled you. That's evident just looking at ADCC trials results. I consider winning NAGA advanced divisions to be a pretty impressive achievement, but it's not winning ADCC trials or Mundials by a long shot. The vast majority of people, including the kind of black belts you beat in those videos, don't duck IBJJF because they're mad about politics. They do it because they know, correctly, that they're not going to win matches against the kind of people who do show up at Mundials and so it's a bad investment. There's no shame in not being a world level competitor, I'm certainly not, but it's ridiculous to equivocate NAGA with the big IBJJF tournaments.

 

[Os3y3ris]

How are you gonna accuse me of ducking when I can't enter? That's on them, not on me.

As for the level of the competitors, I know some of these guys personally. I've trained with them, rolled with them, competed against them in other venues, etc. Having been a Worlds competitor myself, I know how a World's run works, and how to get decently deep into the divisions. IBJJF doesn't automatically equal an elite class of grappler. It's the same people you see in other venues with more hype. SOME of the guys are elite, but a lot of the guys are totally normal grapplers, with day jobs and shit.

I used to have that view of Worlds, then one day I was sitting there in the bullpen shaking with nervousness. Then I looked over, realized that my opponent was some scrawny kid from SBG (Insert City), had a similar or lesser training background than I did and wasn't all that scary. I kicked his ass and never put an opponent on the pedestal again until AFTER he won.

 

[lechien]

I think the elite they are referring are the athletes medalling at BB divisions.

Actually, you can no longer enter as a BB to their world event. I think to score some points in other events to qualify.

 

[Os3y3ris]

I'm not trying to proceed directly to the podium. You can't just cherry pick the champions and then go "See, you can't hang". You wouldn't have a division or a contest if they kicked out everyone that wasn't already the champion. That just doesn't make sense. The whole point of this art is to test yourself against the best and therefore better yourself. It took me eight years to clear NAGA. From 2005 to 2013. I see no reason why I can't put the same amount of hard work and effort into defeating people in a different venue. No one is too elite to lose.

 

[BJJ_Rage]

I'm not trying to proceed directly to the podium. You can't just cherry pick the champions and then go "See, you can't hang". You wouldn't have a division or a contest if they kicked out everyone that wasn't already the champion. That just doesn't make sense. The whole point of this art is to test yourself against the best and therefore better yourself. It took me eight years to clear NAGA. From 2005 to 2013. I see no reason why I can't put the same amount of hard work and effort into defeating people in a different venue. No one is too elite to lose.

what you are saying makes zero sence.

Is like me saying Im a regional champ, I beat and cleared anyone in my country, thus I good enough to clear the rest of the world (despite theres like zero pro grapplers in my country)

its good to have self confidence, but if you think you can clear ibjjf worlds, then you sure as fuck have to be able to tool someone like gordon, whos just turn black belt.

 

[Os3y3ris]

I didn't say immediately. I'd take a lot of losses and a few years.

As for NAGA, it doesn't matter if I'm good enough. After you clear a region, you advance to find tougher opponents. It's what you do. Duh.

Everyone's philosophy is all fucked up. The community simultaneously wants me to stay in my zone and to stop ducking the competition. I'm going with option B. I'm realizing I'm gonna take losses along the way, and I'm writing that off as the cost of victory. You think that's delusional? So be it. You'll never be champion.

 

[Os3y3ris]

Anyways, I'm about to roll out. Thanks guys. I wasn't really taking matches at the moment, focusing too much on bills and day to day shit. But now? Now? Now I've got to kick some ass.

 

[anaconda]

Here's the issue though - no one goes to NAGA New England to say they are the best in New England. Jordan you might be the only one that thinks that way.

But people DO go to the Pans or Worlds to say they are one of the best in the world. Therefore, you get the highest level of competition at those events. This is indisputable.

From my own experience, the level of competition at IBJJF Opens is generally higher than the level at NAGAs. Moreover, there is more at stake so it elevates the game.

It's easy to discount it from the outside but it's a reality - the best compete in the IBJJF. I'm sorry that's so hard to accept for you, but it's a fact. No one takes NAGA medals or belts or samurai swords seriously. The last NAGA I won my purple belt division and my first match was against a white belt. ???

 

[Uchi Mata]

How are you gonna accuse me of ducking when I can't enter? That's on them, not on me.

As for the level of the competitors, I know some of these guys personally. I've trained with them, rolled with them, competed against them in other venues, etc. Having been a Worlds competitor myself, I know how a World's run works, and how to get decently deep into the divisions. IBJJF doesn't automatically equal an elite class of grappler. It's the same people you see in other venues with more hype. SOME of the guys are elite, but a lot of the guys are totally normal grapplers, with day jobs and shit.

I used to have that view of Worlds, then one day I was sitting there in the bullpen shaking with nervousness. Then I looked over, realized that my opponent was some scrawny kid from SBG (Insert City), had a similar or lesser training background than I did and wasn't all that scary. I kicked his ass and never put an opponent on the pedestal again until AFTER he won.

I've been to worlds too. It's not a question of being better than 80 of the 120 people in your division (though it would be fewer at BB due to the quals system), it's about beating the top 4-5 guys. You're not going to be doing that in two years, and you're delusional if you think you would.

As for them 'not letting you', you know the system perfectly well. You could easily find someone to train with for a year who would give you your black belt and then certify you allowing you to enter IBJJF comps. Hell, Keith Owen gave Ari Bolden a brown belt, with your track record you could get an official black belt. What's more precise is that you're not willing to do what you have to do to compete. That's fine, I'm no huge fan of the IBJJF and I understand your beef with them, but never the less no one is purposefully shutting you out of high level competitions. You're just not willing to jump through the necessary hoops. That may be noble or it may be an excuse, but it's definitely on you and not the IBJJF.

But you're utterly full of crap if you think you'd be winning world in two years. I roll a lot with guys like you, good black belts who do very well on the regional competition scene, and I've also rolled with guys like Andre Galvao and the difference is stark. Watch your second match against Gordon again, then watch his match against Mike Perez where he lost in the ADCC trials, and then see where Mike went at ADCC: he lost in the first round to Claudio Calasans, an IBJJF champ. How are you going to bridge that gap? The answer is: you're not.

At least you're out there competing though. Good for you. I hope you do get to fight dudes like Calasans, because at least then you'll know if you were right and everyone else was wrong.