About Gary Goodridge

Gary Henry Goodridge (born January 17, 1966), nicknamed "Big Daddy", is a Trinidadian-Canadian former heavyweight kickboxer and mixed martial artist fighting out of Barrie, Ontario. Prior to kickboxing and MMA, he was also one of the top ranked contenders in the world of professional arm wrestling. In early 2012, Goodridge was diagnosed with early onset of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Early life
Goodridge was born in Saint James, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago before moving to Barrie, Ontario, Canada. Prior to his career in combat sports, he worked as a welder at the Honda factory in Alliston, Ontario.

He was a world champion in arm wrestling, and was able to defeat the likes of greats Sharon Remez and John Brzenk in 1991 and again in 1994. Goodridge started competing in amateur boxing after only a few months of training under Norm Bell. He proceeded to win his first seven fights and won the Canadian National Amateur Boxing Championship at super heavyweight with a TKO of Scott McClung. Goodridge then lost his first international match against American boxer David Bostice, and decided to change sports rather than proceed with boxing.