One-on-one with Gary Goodridge

Landsberg asks if Couture vs. Lesnar is a real fight or a freak show. Goodridge says it’s a bit of both. Goodridge says Couture’s age is a big deal. He knows what it’s like as he reaches that age (Gary is 42). Goodridge doesn’t think Lesnar will have a problem dropping weight. He says he saw somebody drop 37 pounds in one day and says Brock will probably gain most of the weight right back the next day. Landsberg is dumbfounded by this. Goodridge thinks Fedor is on another level than everyone else. He plugs his fight school, FU Fight University.

Panel Discussion with Gary Goodridge (fighter), Dave Beneteau (fighter), Brandon Vera (fighter), Paul Becker (guest judge on “So You Think You Can Dance Canada”)

Topic: Is this fight credible? Becker doesn’t think so, but Beneteau says Lesnar has the talent. He thinks it’ll be a boring fight where Lesnar mauls Couture. Becker makes a bet with Beneteau on the fight. Beneteau says Randy can’t out-punch or outwrestle Lesnar. Vera thinks Couture has some untapped ability on the ground, but Beneteau thinks that’s crazy given how many fights Couture has been in and lost.

Vera thinks Randy has had trouble with bigger guys, but Beneteau disagrees again, saying Couture’s problems come against guys his own size. They agree it’s a bad matchup for Couture, but Vera thinks Randy has a chance.

Landsberg asks Vera about losing to Frank Mir, but Vera quickly corrects him because he beat Mir. Beneteau says it was Mir’s first fight after his motorcycle accident, but Vera says it wasn’t.

Vera and Becker say Dana White is good for MMA and we wouldn’t be talking about this if it weren’t for him. Beneteau says White has brought MMA a long way, but doesn’t like what he’s doing with it now. He says it doesn’t have the class that boxing has. He doesn’t like the way its packaged with guys being presented as movie stars who do profanity-laden interviews after every fight.

Everyone else on the panel including Landsberg says its all good for business, but Beneteau thinks things could be better, and if it had the class, it wouldn’t be illegal in Ontario.

Landbserg asks about Kimbo slice. Goodridge calls him a punk. Beneteau says he’s not a punk and has a good chin, but he lost his toughness. He agrees Kimbo is overrated and was packaged.

Next Question summary with Gary Goodridge

Goodridge was not a school bully and has never been in a bar fight. He think 50% of people in the audience will be wearing Affliction shirts and toques. 75% will have tattoos. He thinks Don Frye has a better moustache than Dan Severn. Landsberg asks if Goodridge ever beat someone so bad he felt bad about it after. Gary felt bad after destroying (Yoshiaki) Yatsu in Japan. He says Sumo wrestling is more popular than K1 in Japan. Goodridge says he was once offered $50,000 to lost a fight. Goodridge says he gave himself the nickname “Big Daddy” but Landsberg says you can’t give yourself a nickname.