Gilbert Yvel vs Gary Goodrich
This fight has a highlight reel finish and is yet another example of the devastating power in landing a head kick. It took place at Pride 10
Intro/Staredown:
Gary Goodrich is a longtime MMA veteran and is fighting out of Canada. To look at the people he's fought and the events he participated in is like reviewing the history of MMA. He was part of the early UFC's (UFC 8 was one of my favorite early ones) and fought in Vale Tude {Link about that} in Brazil in the 90's before being invited to Pride. He was 3-6 in Pride going into this fight. He is bigger and stronger than Yvel.
Gilbert Yvel is also a veteren of MMA and is fighting out of Holland. He is part of that Dutch kickboxing tradition. He already had a reputation as a dirty fighter and a poor sport going into this fight. (He actually bit a man during one MMA match.)
Both fighters show a lot of respect to each other in the opening stare down, making little eye contact. Neither looks angry, but pretty calm. They look ready to go and shake hands.
The Fight:
The fight
They slap at each others hands, Goodrich using his left hand while keeping his right hand down. Yvel is doing this as a distraction...
Then out of nowhere Yvel throws a left high kick that lands like a club. Goodrich goes down in a heap… and stays down.
Goodrich's right hand was up right before the kick, but as Yvel started the kick, he seemed to drop his hand and then got nailed.
That was a lethal kick
The damage that kick would do to a normal man would put him in the hospital.
Yvel does a back flip in the ring and is celebrating. Goodrich is rocked and is still on the ground. His sister rushes out first and then doctors begin tending to him.
Yvel does go to check on Goodrich and the two shake hands, which is a nice gesture. Goodrich is still one the ground. That was one of the most devastating knockouts in MMA history
The replay they show of the kick landing is really something. It catches Goodrich right in the side of the head. You can not teach it any better for Yvel. That was a picture perfect, highlight reel kick.
Goodrich does eventually get up and is able to walk away under his own power. I’m very happy to see that. I hope he didn't have to be sent to the hospital afterwards. It's good to know that two months later he won his next Pride fight and fought in many more MMA and kickboxing fights during the next decade.
The lesson to be learned from this fight, as with watching any major head kick land
Unfortunately, Goodrich has become a long term casualty of MMA. In 2012, he was diagnosed pugilistic dementia, a result of years of fighting and receiving head trauma. Goodrich states that it was in K-1 Kickboxing where he received most of his head damage, which is probably true. But I think that the kick he received from Yvel here as well as damage received from other Pride fights (Vovchanchyn and Fedor) also contributed to it. Having a total of 47 MMA fights and 38 kickboxing fights puts any man at risk for brain damage. Damn that sucks.
Goodrich seems like an all round good guy and I am very sorry to hear of his diagnosis. He has achieved fame and pretty much anybody who has followed MMA the past 16 years has heard of him. I hope that he was able to amass a good amount of money from his fights and can live off that now. He also has a book about his experiences.
Yvel went on to fight in many more MMA fights, but he performed poorly in subsequent Pride fights, going 1-6-1.
That is surprising and unfortunate. He also continued his dirty fighter reputation, knocking out a referee in one fight (yes, the referee) and eye gouging Don Frye in another. However, his skill as a fighter must be recognized and respected. His kicking ability was incredible in this fight.
Gilbert Yvel and Gary Goodrich, thank you for fighting in Pride.
Written October 2012
