UFC lightweight superstar Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett used his last outing in the Octagon to shine a light on mental health issues following the suicide of a close friend. Now, during a fan Q&A, Pimblett revealed that he has faced his own battle with depression.
“My friends, my family, my teammates, my fiancé, all the people closest to me. I’ve said it plenty of times, without them I don’t even know if I’d still be here now. I have had some dark times myself, lad, and I have questioned a lot of things in my own head, do I do this or that, I mightn’t be here if it wasn’t for all those people close to me.”
Paddy The Baddy Reveals Depression Battle: “I was crying for like an hour every day”
Pimblett continued, discussing the deep depression that affected him following the loss of his Cage Warriors title. He endured a 1-2 lull, including the title loss. Pimblett took a year and a half off competition to get his health in order, won two fights in a row, and signed with the UFC.
“You know the saying ‘Get it off your chest?’ It’s real. At the end of 2018, I got in a proper bad place, lad. Proper bad place. Was just waking up and crying every morning. The missus would get up and go to work and I’d just roll over and go to sleep. I was rolling over and just crying for like an hour. Every day. So I had to get over that, and to get through it, I had to speak to people.
That ‘Get it off your chest’ saying is the most real thing in the world. As soon as I spoke to one of my mates, and then I went and spoke to someone else, spoke to my coach, spoke to my missus, the next morning I woke up and I didn’t cry. I felt like a weight had been lifted off me shoulders.
You go to someone and say ‘Oh I’m feeling down’ and they’re not putting their arm around you going ‘How are you, are you all right, talk to me,’ and they’re going ‘Oh I feel great, you’re a piece of s**t,’ they’re not your real mate,” he said. “Don’t speak to them. Anyone that’s your real friend will care about you.”
Paddy Pimblett is now one of the hottest rising stars in the UFC. His charismatic personality and penchant for early, stunning finishes – including his most recent submission win over Jordan Leavitt – has the potential to turn Pimblett into a major player in the promotion.
When do you think we’ll see Paddy Pimblett return to the Octagon?
