MMA pioneer Gary Goodridge admits to missing the fight world: "There's tears coming down"

Gary Goodridge recently reminisced about his career and life after fighting. He admitted to missing the fight world and the thrill of competing, and noted that it can be emotional at times when reflecting on the past.

Goodridge is an MMA pioneer, especially for Canadian MMA, as he competed in the UFC when they ran their tournament format and later for Japanese-based promotion PRIDE. 'Big Daddy' fought a who's who of notable competitors and was famous for his crucifix knockout over Paul Herrera at UFC 8.

Goodridge uploaded his latest conversation with MMA coach Jason Parillo to his YouTube channel, where he discussed the difference between coaching fighters and actually competing. He said:

"I miss it. Cause now you're a coach, it's humbling. Sometimes you're sitting down by yourself at home and you start [to] realize there's tears coming down and you have to figure out like, understand what's happening because I miss the fight game. You finish training people and you come back home and you sit down and then tears start running down your eyes and you realize that's what it is. You miss being out there, you miss being part of the competition."

Check out Gary Goodridge's comments below (0:02):

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Gary Goodridge opens up about the progression of MMA

Gary Goodridge also shared his thoughts about the progression of MMA and the public perception of the sport changing in a positive way.

In the aforementioned video, Goodridge recalled the early years of the UFC, which saw them face constant backlash and even be forced to relocate their events last minute in order to ensure it didn't canceled. He said:

"Man, when I used to fight, this [sport] was illegal. We had to change venues in the middle of the night so that we had the show... People had to [say], 'Okay, we're not training here. Hey, get everyone in a bus and put them somewhere else, so that we can fight tomorrow'. Matter of fact, I fought in Brazil. The ring was here, we were fighting and there's chickens over there." [1:45]

Check out Gary Goodridge's knockout win over Paul Herrera below: