Brad Riddell
UFC fighter Brad Riddell was at his parents home in Christchurch, New Zealand back in 2011 when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck.
Riddell, who was 19 at the time, remembers the moment only too well, describing it as, “like a bomb going off.”
All the windows in their home blew out instantly, showering the rooms with glass, while Riddell recalls looking out at their swimming pool and seeing water lurching so high into the air that it went above the roof of the house.
185 people would lose their life due to the earthquake that day, but Riddell and his family were among the lucky ones to survive, though they lost their home due to the damage and it would take his parents five years to finally get the insurance money.
Times were tough in the aftermath of the natural disaster and Riddell was forced to move to Auckland in search of work, but it proved to be a blessing as he found a gym and started training hard to become an MMA fighter, while adopting the nickname ‘Quake’ in memory of the Christchurch tragedy.
