Wrestler Who Beat Gordon Ryan Joining BJJ Blue Belt Competition

Pat Downey, left, wrestles Bo Nickal at 86 kg during the first session of the USA Wrestling Olympic Team Trials, Friday, April 2, 2021 | Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen via Imagn Content Services, LLC

A standout from CJI is going from beating Luke Rockhold to a blue belt jiu-jitsu tournament.

Pat Downey, a champion wrestler that transitioned to Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ), has almost exclusively faced big names in his grappling career. That’s about to change though, as his next jiu-jitsu tournament is already lined up.

Downey is going from facing black belt superstars like Nick Rodriguez, Gordon Ryan and Luke Rockhold, to random blue belts and hobbyists next.

Pat Downey Goes From Beating Luke Rockhold in CJI to IBJJF Blue Belts

As the US Open wrestling champion announced, he has signed up to compete at the 2024 IBJJF No Gi World Championships this December.

“I am upgrading,” Downey wrote as he goes from one stripe white belt after dominating Rockhold, to now competing at a colored belt division. “Best blue belt on (earth)!”

To calm a collective amount of older blue belt hobbyists and dads that were planning on flying to Las Vegas, Downey said he won’t be competing at the Masters division (age 30 and up).

“(I’m joining) Adult blue belt division. I’m not here to hurt old men like Jake Paul does lmfao,” the 32-year-old Downey wrote.

Many people naturally still criticized him for “sandbagging” and taking on beginners, but Downey has since defended his entry.

“Ed Ruth, one of the best NCAA wrestler EVER lost at this tournament multiple times as blue belt stfu,” Downey commented in response.

Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Pat Downey vs. Bo Nickal at the USA Olympic Trials

IBJJF has outdated rules on belts and competitions

While the criticisms are valid, IBJJF is also partly to blame for situations like this. Even with Downey’s wrestling accolades and experience as a professional grappler, blue belt is the highest division he can compete in for IBJJF events.

The long running BJJ institution has a rule that grapplers need to spend a minimum time as a blue belt before they can compete at purple belt. Winning blue belt world championships like this one, would allow Downey to bypass that rule and compete as a purple belt earlier.

Downey of course wouldn’t be immune to sandbagging criticisms at purple belt either. So if he really just wanted more grappling experience, he could easily just join the various non-IBJJF events and ADCC opens as a professional.

As he was just starting his jiu-jitsu career, the NCAA Division I All-American beat BJJ star Nicky Rod in wrestling, then went 1-1 with Gordon Ryan in a predictable mixed rules exhibition. In 2020, he handily beat Ryan in seconds during the wrestling portion, before losing the no-time limit, submission-only ruleset that followed.

In 2024, under a full submission grappling ruleset, Downey most recently dominated former UFC champ Luke Rockhold at the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) event.

Downey has since signed with Polaris to continue his pro grappling career. Ryan and Downey also recently agreed to another weird mixed rules match next, which may or may not happen.

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