"I felt like a weight had been lifted off me shoulders" - Paddy Pimblett revisits feeling relieved after talking to friends, coach, fiance amid suffering from depression
Rising British UFC prospect Paddy Pimblett recently opened up about his struggles with mental health during a visit with the United States Marine Corps at Camp Pendelton.
The Liverpudlian has won all three of his fights in the UFC and has earned a Performance of the Night bonus in each. Pimblett is also a huge advocate for men's mental health and often uses his platform to help spread the positive message that talking to one another can save lives.
'The Baddy' last performed in the octagon against Jordan Leavitt in July. The 27-year-old submitted the American in stunning fashion, but his iconic and emotional octagon interview will go down in UFC history. Pimblett revealed that just days before the bout, one of his close friends had committed suicide.
A tearful Pimblett pleaded with the crowd to talk to one another with the powerful message that having a friend cry on your shoulder is better than going to their funeral a week later.
I absolutely love the message Paddy Pimblett gave here. He made me a fan with this message and I want to spread this everywhere. #UFCLondon
Paddy Pimblett Octagon Interview | UFC London https://t.co/B5LcRVEsRI
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Paddy Pimblett opened up about his own mental health and referred back to 2018 when he felt he was at his lowest point:
"I got in a proper bad place where I was just waking up and crying every morning. The missus would get up and go to work and I'd just roll over and cry for like an hour everyday. To get through it, I had to speak to people. Getting it off your chest is the most real thing in the world. As soon as I spoke to one of my mates, spoke to my coach, spoke to my missus, the next morning I didn't cry. I felt like a weight had been lifted off me shoulders."
Catch the full video here:
Paddy Pimblett breaks down win at July's UFC London Fight Night
Paddy Pimblett recently sat down with BT Sport to rewatch his performance against Jordan Leavitt earlier this year.
Pimblett is one of the fastest rising stars in the organization and Leavitt was viewed as the Liverpudlian's first real test in the UFC octagon. During the build-up to the fight, the American spent much of the time insisting that his wrestling and grappling would be too much for the Scouse fighter and was confident he wouldn't be submitted by 'The Baddy'.
During the interview, Pimblett highlighted the end of the fight because he did in fact lock in a rear-naked choke and forced the American to tap:
"The funniest thing was that, he thought he was going to submit me! Haha. Even as I watch it back, I come out straight away when I watch it back immeditaely, I throw a big hook straight away, that's not usually me... Obviously after seeing Molly [McCann] get the finish, I wanted it too. I wanted to get it even quicker for the crowd."
Catch Paddy Pimblett's full BT Sport interview here: