MMA pioneer Gary Goodridge speaks candidly about living with CTE in short film documentary
Gary Goodridge recently opened up about his career and spoke candidly about living with CTE and how it has affected his life post-retirement. The MMA pioneer disclosed that he had experienced noticeable changes in his mood as a result.
Goodridge was the focus of a new short film documentary titled: 'Goodridge: The Power of Glory' in which he details when he became aware of CTE and how he deals with the disorder.
During his career, Goodridge was regarded for his mentality of competing multiple times a year against all comers. That mentality also affected his health as he ended up competing until he was 44 years old and retired on a seven-fight losing skid that included four losses via KO/TKO.
In a clip posted on director Kevin A. Courtney's Instagram account, Goodridge highlights that memory issues and anger became a major cause for concern. 'Big Daddy' mentioned that he doesn't have regrets with his MMA career and noted that he was his own biggest opponent:
"CTE has a lot to do with memory. 'Gary, you just said that... you just asked me that... You can't remember that?' People would stop and say, 'You're getting really angry'. The people that love you the most, that's where the anger comes out. I miss everything. I loved it, I loved my life. I'm not going to close my eyes saying, 'Man, I would've, could've, should've'. No, I did... The biggest well-known fighter I ever competed against... was myself. That's the biggest fight you will ever fight."
Check out the clip featuring Gary Goodridge's comments below:
Gary Goodridge opens up on his UFC debut
Gary Goodridge also reflected on his UFC debut, which saw him earn an 8-second knockout over Paul Herrera after landing several unanswered elbows to advance to the second round of the UFC 8 tournament.
In a clip from the aforementioned short film documentary, Goodridge admitted that he was nervous due to the bout being his MMA debut, but jokingly added that it was worse for Herrera:
"My heart started beating through my chest. I'm like, 'Holy sh*t. I'm scared this is going to happen'. It was a vicious fight. It was terrible, for him."
Check out Gary Goodridge's comments below [slide 2]: