Gordon Ryan to Make One Championship Debut in Grappling Match Against Shinya Aoki

BREAKING NEWS: Gordon Ryan will make his debut in ONE Championship against Shinya Aoki in an openweight grappling super match on August 27!

— Chatri Sityodtong (@yodchatri) May 10, 2021

Gordon Ryan will remain in his element for his first One Championship foray.

The decorated grappler will face Shinya Aoki in an “openweight grappling super match” on Aug. 27, One Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced Monday. Official rules of the contest were not revealed.

Regarded by some as the best pound-for-pound grappler in the world, Ryan is a three-time ADCC champion, IBJJF no-gi champion and a four-time Eddie Bravo Invitational champion. In grappling competition, Ryan has bested the likes of Josh Barnett, Gabriel Gonzaga, Rousimar Palhares, Dillon Danis and Marcus Almeida. He is a black belt under Gary Tonon. Ryan signed with One with the expectation that he would make his MMA debut as well, but he recently told MMAFighting.com that his current plan is to remain focused on his grappling career.

Aoki previously competed in a grappling bout under the Singapore-based promotion’s banner, tapping to a Tonon heel hook in May 2017. A former champion in One, Dream and Shooto, Aoki has won eight of his last nine MMA appearances and is coming off an armbar submission of Eduard Folayang in a trilogy bout at One on TNT 4 on April 28.