10 Legendary MMA Fighters You've Probably Never Heard Of

Tag: long term brain damage

Gary Goodridge Diagnosed With Early Onset Pugilistic Dementia

Gary Goodridge Free CagePotato t-shirt Big Daddy
(Everyone head over to Gary’s Twitter and wish him the best of luck.) 

Some really sad news today, Potato Nation. It is being reported that none other than MMA/kickboxing legend and regular CP columnist Gary Goodridge has been diagnosed with early onset CTE/pugilistic dementia at the age of 46. Goodridge, who built a reputation for his hard hitting style and aggressive attack, has fought an incredible 84 times since beginning his professional career in 1996.

CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is brain damage that stems from repeated blows to the head, and is a common occurrence amongst boxers, football players, and hockey players for obvious reasons.

Though the outlook is grim for “Big Daddy,” Goodrige says he wouldn’t change a thing in hindsight. But perhaps a little surprising is the fact that he places most of the blame on his K1 career.

You get the news you just have to deal with it, live with it. There’s no treatment that goes along with it. There’s pills to make it slow down the process, but it’s inevitable.

I have no regrets. I love the way I live my life, I mean I would like to make little changes, but no, I have no regrets. I loved the way my life was, I lived a good life, and I’m happy with what I did. 

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In Case You’re Wondering: Yes, Stephan Bonnar Worries About Getting Punched in the Head So Much


("Get the fuck out of here, a movie with Christina Aguilera *and* Cher?!?!" PicProps: KTFOMMA.com)

Stephan Bonnar is a man of many talents, among them: Producing insane slugfests, being the subject of terrifying GIFs and offering fair-to-decent color commentary on broadcasts the UFC doesn’t deem too important. For a professional fighter, you might say dude is of above average intelligence. Smart, even.  Granted, over the last couple of years Bonnar’s talents have not necessarily included winning more fights than he’s lost, but even after going 1-3 during 2009-10 his job security has never truly been in doubt. Why? Because he’s done the UFC a couple of solids over the years and because he can always be counted on to turn in a good show for the fans.

But we have to ask: Isn’t being a guy the company and viewers consistently expect to sacrifice his own body in the name of their personal entertainment both a blessing and a curse? Doesn’t Bonnar ever worry that the bill for all of these wars in the cage might unexpectedly show up somewhere later in life in the form of, say, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and/or dementia? That he might become one of those tottering old men who insists on calling his grandson by the name of his long dead brother and spends his one hour a day away from the retirement home wandering aimlessly through the women’s underwear section at JC Penny? Why yes, Bonnar admits on Wednesday during this interview with MMA Fighting. Yes, he does wonder about that. 

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