Don Frye recently announced that he was hospitalized after suffering a serious heart-related medical emergency.
In a video posted to his YouTube channel last week, Frye spoke from his hospital bed and revealed that he was struggling with arrhythmia, a condition that causes an irregular heartbeat. Despite the severity of the problem, the UFC legend initially refused to go to hospital and only sought emergency medical attention after former rival Gary Goodridge alerted his daughter.
“What brought me here is my daughter,” Frye said. “Gary Goodridge turned on me, betrayed me, went behind my back and called the boss. The boss came over and threw me in the truck, and we were stuck here in the hospital for a few days. And I had AFib [Atrial Fibrillation] again. They shot me in 2016, and it lasted almost ten years.
“I’ve felt bad for the last few years, but the last three or four months I’ve really gone downhill. Very steady, very fast. You can tell when [Gary] came, I couldn’t even go out to feed the horses, [he] knew something was wrong.”
Encouragingly, Don Frye says his condition has stabilized with treatment. He notes that he is now breathing normally as he continues to recover.
“I feel better. I’m breathing, I couldn’t take in any air. I had 96% oxygen uptake and circulation, but it just didn’t feel that way. But I’m back to 99 or 100%. I can feel it now. I think the new drug has done its job. They just need to adjust it to the amount I need.”
How many times have Don Frye and Gary Goodridge fought each other?
Widely regarded as one of the UFC’s most influential pioneersDon Frye faced fellow legend Gary Goodridge for the first time UFC8 in February 1996, where “The Predator” secured victory by asserting superior positional control.
The two crossed paths again later that year at UFC 11.5: Ultimate Ultimate 1996, where Frye once again gained the upper hand over Goodridge, wearing down “Big Daddy” through relentless pressure and superior conditioning.
Don Frye and Gary Goodridge met for the third and final time in December 2003 at PRIDE Shockwave 2003. This time Goodridge turned the tables on Frye, stopping “The Predator” with a first-round knockout.
Since then, their rivalry has grown into a close friendship, with the two often spending time together away from the competition.
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