Gary Goodridge facts for kids

Gary Goodridge (born January 17, 1966) is a former professional fighter from Trinidad and Tobago and Canada. He was known for his skills in kickboxing and mixed martial arts (MMA). Before becoming a famous fighter, Gary was also one of the best professional arm wrestlers in the world. In 2012, he was diagnosed with a brain condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which can affect memory and thinking.

Early Life and Early Sports

Gary Goodridge was born in Saint James, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Later, he moved to Barrie, Ontario, Canada. Before he started his career in combat sports, he worked as a welder at a Honda factory.

Gary was a world champion in arm wrestling. He even beat famous arm wrestlers like Sharon Remez and John Brzenk in 1991 and 1994. He then tried amateur boxing and quickly became very good. After only a few months of training, he won his first seven fights. He became the Canadian National Amateur Boxing Champion in the super heavyweight division. However, after losing his first international match, Gary decided to try other sports.

Mixed Martial Arts Career

Gary Goodridge decided to try UFC after his friends suggested it. He started training in a martial art called Kuk Sool Won. Even though he had little experience in this new art, he was offered a high-level black belt if he represented the school in UFC.

Fighting in the UFC

In 1996, Gary Goodridge made his UFC debut at UFC 8: David vs. Goliath. He fought in an eight-man tournament. His first opponent was Paul Herrera. Gary won this fight very quickly, in just 13 seconds, by using elbow strikes.

He then moved on to fight Jerry Bohlander. Gary used his strength to control Bohlander and eventually knocked him out with punches. In the finals, Gary faced Don Frye. Gary was very tired, but he kept fighting. Frye eventually won the match.

Gary returned to UFC for more fights. He fought Mark Schultz and Mark Coleman, who were both strong wrestlers. Gary showed great toughness in these matches, even though he faced tough losses. He also had a rematch with Don Frye at Ultimate Ultimate 1996, where Frye won again.

Fighting in Brazil

After his time in UFC, Gary went to Brazil to compete in a fighting style called vale tudo. He won the first International Vale Tudo Championship tournament. In this tournament, he won two fights very quickly by using special holds. In the final, he faced Pedro Otavio. Gary won this tough fight by knocking out his opponent.

Fighting in Japan: PRIDE FC

In late 1997, Gary Goodridge joined PRIDE Fighting Championships in Japan. In his first PRIDE fight, he knocked out Oleg Taktarov with a powerful punch.

He continued to fight many famous opponents in PRIDE. He faced Marco Ruas and Amir Rahnavardi, winning some and losing others. He also fought Igor Vovchanchyn, a strong striker, who knocked him out.

Gary returned to UFC briefly in 1999, winning a quick fight. Then, he went back to PRIDE to fight Olympic judoka Naoya Ogawa. Gary lost this fight. There were rumors that he was offered money to lose, but Gary said he turned down the offer because it was too small and he lost the fight fairly.

PRIDE Grand Prix and Key Fights

In 2000, Gary took part in the PRIDE Grand Prix 2000 tournament. He won his first fight quickly. However, he lost to Igor Vovchanchyn again in the next round.

Gary became known as a "gatekeeper" in PRIDE. This means he often fought new, rising stars to test their skills. He fought Ricco Rodriguez and Gilbert Yvel, losing both matches. But he bounced back by winning against Yoshiaki Yatsu and other fighters.

His winning streak ended when he fought Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, a very skilled Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter. Gary tried to avoid Nogueira's ground fighting, but Nogueira managed to win with a special choke hold.

Gary continued to fight in PRIDE, winning against Lloyd van Dams and Achmed Labasanov. In 2003, he faced Fedor Emelianenko, who was a very dominant fighter. Gary lost this fight quickly.

Gary Goodridge had his official retirement fight in PRIDE at PRIDE Shockwave 2003. It was a special rematch against his old rival, Don Frye. Both fighters were older and had faced many tough battles. Despite their challenges, Gary won the fight by knocking out Frye with a head kick. After the fight, Gary received a huge cheer from the crowd as he celebrated his career with Frye and PRIDE officials. It was a very emotional moment for everyone.

Even though he retired from PRIDE, Gary continued to fight in other organizations like K-1 and Hero's.

HERO'S Fights

From 2004, Gary competed in the HERO'S series. He won his first fight by knocking out Sylvester Terkay. He also defeated Alan Karaev by submission. He continued to fight until 2007, winning against Jan Nortje, but also losing to fighters like Heath Herring.

Kickboxing Career

Gary Goodridge started his kickboxing career in 1999. His first win in K-1 was against Mike Bernardo in 2002.

In 2005, Gary had a very successful year in K-1. He won the 2005 K-1 World Grand Prix in Hawaii tournament by winning three fights in one night. He also reached the finals of the 2005 K-1 World Grand Prix in Las Vegas tournament, but lost there. In 2006, he again reached the finals of the 2006 K-1 World Grand Prix in Las Vegas tournament.

Personal Life

Gary Goodridge is a Muslim. In 2011, he co-authored a book called Gatekeeper: The Fighting Life of Gary "Big Daddy" Goodridge. The book shares details about his fighting career in UFC, PRIDE, and K-1, as well as personal information about his life. As a result of his long career in combat sports, Gary developed chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain condition.

Championships and Accomplishments

Professional Armwrestling

• Most gold medals earned from WAF worlds from any Canadian Armwrestler.

See also

In Spanish: Gary Goodridge para niños

• List of male kickboxers
• List of K-1 events
• List of UFC events
• List of Canadian UFC fighters