Garry Tonon might have been the star of the 16-man, openweight tournament bracket at the sixth Eddie Bravo Invitational, but it was his pupil and understudy Gordon Ryan who took home four submission wins and $50,000 at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday.
The 20-year-old Ryan, a Brunswick BJJ and Renzo Gracie Team product who trains under John Danaher, blazed through the field at EBI 6, submitting Jacen Flynn, Marcello Bergo, Abu Dhabi Combat Club 2015 champion Yuri Simoes, and Russian powerhouse ADCC placer Rustam Chsiev in the finals. By night's end, Gordon had racked up three rear-naked choke finishes and a kneebar to boot.