UFC Hall of Famer Don Frye has been hospitalized following a health emergency related to heart and breathing complications, the 63-year-old legend revealed in a recent YouTube video from his hospital bed.
The former UFC and PRIDE Fighting Championships star addressed concerned fans directly, explaining that he was admitted after experiencing atrial fibrillation, a condition where the upper chambers of the heart quiver chaotically instead of contracting normally. This marks a continuation of health challenges that reportedly date back to 2016.
When asked how he ended up in the hospital, Frye said: “Gary Goodridge turned on me, betrayed me, went behind my back and called the boss (his daughter). The boss came over and threw me in the truck, and we got stuck here in the hospital for a few days. And I had atrial fibrillation again.”
The legendary competitor, known for his tough-as-nails demeanor throughout his career, admitted that his condition had been deteriorating over an extended period. “I’ve been feeling like s**t the last couple years,” he said. “But in the last three or four months, I’ve really gone downhill, really steady, really fast.”
Friend and former rival Gary Goodridge, who appears alongside Frye in the video, had previously urged him to seek medical attention during a phone conversation weeks earlier. However, Frye initially resisted going to the hospital.
“You can tell, when you [Goodridge] came over, I couldn’t even go out and feed the horses. You know something was wrong,” Frye said, before laughing.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Frye reported feeling significantly better since being admitted and placed on new medications. “I still feel tired,” he noted. “They got a couple of new medications for me, so I’m feeling better. I breathe. When I got in here, I had 96% oxygen intake, circulation, but it didn’t feel like it. I’m back up to 99 or 100%. I can feel it now, the medicines kicking in. They just gotta adjust it to how much I need.”
Goodridge expressed relief that intervention came when it did, while also acknowledging that Frye’s legendary toughness may have worked against him in this instance.
“I’m really happy we came down here when we did,” Goodridge said. “Sometimes toughness is too tough, [and] Don is somebody that is too tough.”
Goodridge revealed that Frye had promised to seek medical attention three weeks prior but failed to follow through. “He promised me three weeks ago, he was going,” Goodridge said. “And obviously, he didn’t go. He waited till I came down because his daughter and I made him go.”
True to his characteristic style, Frye downplayed the severity of waiting those three weeks. “It was only three weeks of not breathing,” he joked. “You know, s**t, it wasn’t that bad.”
