8. Gary Goodridge
It sticks out as one of the unforgettable highlights of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s early days: Goodridge’s frightening knockout on Paul Herrera at UFC 8. Sporting a black gi, “Big Daddy” trapped his much smaller counterpart in a backside crucifix and proceeded to unload with rapid-fire elbows to the head, a few of which landed after Herrera was already unconscious. It provided a taste of the violence Goodridge would bring to MMA.In a career that spanned almost 15 years and more than 50 fights, Goodridge rarely disappointed. He engaged in two memorable wars with Don Frye and also fought Mark Coleman, Oleg Taktarov, Igor Vovchanchyn, Fedor Emelianenko, Heath Herring, Alistair Overeem and Gegard Mousasi. Goodridge was a staple of pre-1997 UFC events and later appeared on Pride Fighting Championships cards in Japan. Now 50, he has become an example of the costs associated with combat sports, as he was diagnosed with early onset dementia pugilistica in 2012.
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