FEG rep claims Goodridge will finally be paid.

MMA Junkie

Veteran MMA competitor Gary Goodridge will receive his fight purse after a yearlong delay, according to the U.S. representative of Fighting and Entertainment Group.

Mike Kogan today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that he's spoken to FEG officials, who oversee the Japanese-based DREAM promotion, and has been assured that Goodridge will be paid "sometime this month."

Goodridge fought Gegard Mousasi at FEG's "Dynamite!! 2009" and recently complained that the promotion snubbed him when payday arrived.

When contacted by MMAjunkie.com earlier this month, Kogan resolved to get an answer on the situation when he traveled to Japan for the K-1 World Grand Prix tournament, which took place this past Saturday, Dec. 11, at Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo.

"I didn't sign his contract, but I'm sure it doesn't say it takes a year to get paid," Kogan said earlier this month. "Obviously, there's something fishy going on. I feel bad for the guy."

Kogan, who's worked with the promotion for three-plus years, attributed the delay to FEG's current financial distress, which has forced them to prioritize payments to fighters with pending obligations to the promotion.

"I think the process needs to improve," he said. "A lot of things need to improve. But at the same time, nobody's blinded by the truth. It's not like anybody is under the illusion that this is normal procedure. It's not. My bosses know it, too.

"There were days when FEG used to pay ahead of time. So obviously it's not a general practice or policy. It's just kind of necessary evil. At the same time, I'm not condoning it."

With both ratings and attendance down in recent years, the Japanese fight promotion has been trying to raise additional funds through a recent partnership with PUJI Capital, an investment banking group, though the success of those efforts is unclear.

Goodridge is currently in Bulgaria for another fight and could not be reached for comment. His representative remains skeptical that FEG will follow through.

"You know how many times I've heard that story?" manager Steve Ruisch asked. If it's true, I hope it's true. I just won't hold my breath."

A star of the UFC's early days of no-holds-barred fighting and later in PRIDE, Goodridge (23-22-1) hasn't won an MMA match in more than three years. But his name resonates with hardcore and longtime fans, and in his longtime MMA and K-1 careers, he's faced a who's who of combat-sports notables.

I wondered if they were going to pay him after the announcement there were new investors. This is an important move. If FEG wants to stay relevant they need to be paying their fighters on time. King Mo tweeted Saki and Spong were looking to jump to MMA after the event. That, along with the departures of Kid and Omigawa, can be seen as signals there isn't a lot of faith in the K-1 organization going forward. Dream and K-1 cannot build ratings without marketable fighters. Quite obviously, they can't keep or attract marketable fighters if they can't pay their fighters.