Depressed Paddy Pimblett almost withdrew from UFC 304 bout less than five weeks ago: "This is the worst fight camp of my life"
Paddy Pimblett has been a major advocate for mental health since making his UFC debut in 2021. His post-fight speech after beating Jordan Leavitt in 2022 made waves across the world, as he implored men to be more open about their mental struggles having lost a friend to suicide shortly before his fight.
'The Baddy' is scheduled to face Bobby 'King' Green as part of a stacked main card for UFC 304, which takes place on 27 July. Ahead of the bout, Pimblett recently admitted that he almost withdrew from the clash due to his own struggles with depression.
The Scouser labeled the fight camp as the "worst of his life", and reflected on his mental struggles during an interview with Sky Sports. He said this:
"About five or six weeks ago my coach was thinking about pulling me out [of the fight]. Mentally, I wasn't there. I said a couple of weeks ago, 'This is gonna be the worst fight camp of my life.' And up until two or three weeks ago it was."
He continued:
"I've got that attitude and that positivity where I can turn it around. You know how confident I am, so when my coach thought about pulling me out I was like, 'No chance.'"
Watch Paddy Pimblett's interview below (4:00):
Paddy Pimblett is eager to KO "cocky" Bobby 'King' Green
UFC 304 will showcase some of the best MMA talent the United Kingdom has to offer, including two title fights featuring British champions in Tom Aspinall and Leon Edwards.
The main card will also see Paddy Pimblett take on one of the lightweight division's longest serving fighters in Bobby 'King' Green.
There have been several back-and-forths between the pair in the build-up to their clash. Pimblett sent a heated message to Green during episode two of the UFC Embedded series, saying this:
"Bobby talks a lot of s**t. He's an egomaniac. He talks about me being cocky, and he's one of the most cocky fighters I've ever seen in my life. But he's not gonna have a chance to do that against me 'cause when I hit him on the chin he's going down."
Watch Paddy Pimblett's UFC 304 fight preview below: