If Royce comes back...

[Ronin]

...he should fight Gary Goodridge.

Seriously, opinions are divided on the aftermath of the Royce/Sakuraba match. Many think Royce is all washed-up after throwing in the towel. Others think that Royce fought gallantly, and showed that he still has the heart and skills of a champion.

Who better than Gary Goodridge to test Royce's fighting skills? If Royce can submit Goodridge it will prove that he still is an elite fighter who can hang with the best of them. If Gary knocks him out, it will show that Royce no longer belongs in MMA.

We are currently debating Tyson/Royce. Compared to Royce, Goodridge's striking power and durability are on par with Tyson. Goodridge is not the gamest fighter, but he has pretty decent grappling skills for a big man. This would be a very interesting fight, and would show us where BJJ is in the MMA pecking order these days.

I say, Royce by rear naked choke at the 25 minute mark.

Opinions?

[Robbie]

I would like to see Royce take on Gary goodridge also.

[Hookah Smokin Caterpillar]

Gary Goodridge is the test to whether you're an A level fighter or not. However, he's still a heavyweight and I don't know how well Royce would do against him. How about a middleweight like maybe a Kevin Jackson or a Jeremy Horn. Maybe even Tamura...

[Cooter]

Ronin,

Now THAT'S a good troll.

I'm still smarting from the too-subtle "Rickson's pathetic takedowns" one from a week ago that I fell for.

[Ronin]

Cooter:

CLUMSY takedowns!

And I'm serious about Royce/Goodridge. I think it'd be a cool match-up: brute power versus finesse.

[Jimmy23]

Personally, i believe that Royce is still a top five fighter at his weight.A match against Goodridge would be the best thing at this point in his career,a relatively easy win against an intimidating fighter.

[L3FTH00K]

Ronin, I agree Goodrige is Black and built like Tyson but thats where similarities end. Goodride has proven to us to have an average chin. On the other hand Tyson has a very very solid chin. As for punching power it's not even anywhere close. This may shock and amaze you but even hard punching Igor V. is not even close to Tyson's punching power.

[Jimmy23]

We agree here Lefty.Tyson shattered Golotas cheek with a gloved punch,against a very experienced,seasoned boxer.The power of a punching specialist is as dangerous as the submissions of a grappling specialist,and more versatile.This will be the next big evolution in MMA.the re emergence of striking specialists.

[Bau13]

Tysons punches are harder and faster than any NHB guy can even dream about....no joke

big daddys punches turn into small babys punches compared to Tyson...

[vortrex]

why does royce need to fight someone so big and strong? nobody would expect someone like frank shamrock to fight gary! let royce fight a good middleweight.

[Ryu (non-working password]

but Royce is invincible!!
The Brazilian knight always triumphs! Have at you!!

.....(Royce loses a leg)..."right, I'll do you for that."

[royceg420]

Royce Goodridge is something I'd like to see. I know Royce would win, he isn't done yet.

Vortex: everyone wants to see Royce fight a heavy opponent because they all know, whether they like it or not, that Royce is still the man, and he can still F*#$ people up.

[Ronin]

Try to focus through the haze, guys:

I said COMPARED TO ROYCE Goodridge is on par with Tyson.

He punches extremely hard, and Royce couldn't hurt him. Same with Tyson. I didn't say he could go toe-to-toe with Tyson.

Unlike Tyson, Goodridge/Royce has a chance of actually happening, outside of our fevered imaginations.

[Jaguar Wong]

Royce always had to fight the bigger guys. Severn, Kimo, Shamrock, Hackney. They were some big guys, and he did beat them. I think Goodridge would be a good "glory days" opponent where we can see Royce relive his older UFC victories.

Jimmy23, Tyson fractured Golata's cheek, that's a big difference from shattered . I know some say it was the headbutt that did it, but I still blame the big right. Anyways, fractured, shattered, it doesn't matter. I still don't need to be on the business end of Tyson's big right anytime soon.

[Jimmy23]

eek,my bad,but "shattered" does sound a lot better than "fractured" doesnt it?