UFC Star Paddy Pimblett Advocates For Men’s Mental Health, Bevy Of Stars Come Out In Support
“I woke up on Friday morning at 4 AM to a message that one of my friends back home had killed himself. This was five hours before my weigh in, so Ricky lad, thats for you. But, there’s a stigma in this world that men cant talk. Listen: If you’re a man and youve got weight on your shoulders, and you think the only way you can solve it is to kill yourself, please speak to someone. Speak to anyone. People would rather…I know I’d rather my mate cry on my shoulder than [have to] go to his funeral next week.”
Wow. Chills.
Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett made headlines after UFC London on July 23rd, 2022, after his second-round submission victory over budding prospect Jordan Leavitt. The submission was fantastic–Paddy struggled in the first round but was able to rebound in the second and sink in a submission for his third UFC victory.
As impressive as his victory was, what really struck a chord with the fans was his post fight interview, which you can read at the top of the article. Paddy’s words cut through the O2 arena like a knife, and was consoled after his interview by every fan in the building, cheering and chanting his name. Since his post-fight interview, the clip has been viewed over 15 million times on social media, and has become the third most-liked post on the BBC Sport’s Instagram page.
"I've had so many comments, so many messages saying 'without your speech I wouldn't be here now'," Pimblett told BBC Sport.
"And like, stuff like that means more than any win ever will, people saying I would have killed myself if it wasn't for you."
Amongst the 15 millions viewers on Paddy’s speech were some of the biggest names in MMA–just take a look for yourself.
Jamahal Hill tweeted: Great message from @theufcbaddy I had a young teammate/lil brother and he did the same!!! It’s alright to ask for help!!!#UFCLondon
Alexander Volkanovski said: “To use that platform to send messages like that is good…To still use that platform and that moment to send a message like that is powerful and important as well.”
Robert Whittaker said: “To use his platform in our industry to bring awareness to mental health, especially for men, is hats off, absolutely wonderful.”
