JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Paddy Pimblett Reveals He Almost Pulled Out of UFC 304 Due to Depression: ‘A Few Things Were Getting Me Down'
Paddy Pimblett recently opened up about the near withdrawal from UFC 304 bout amid battle with depression, shedding light on mental health in MMA.
Trigger Warning: This article contains references to mental health issues.
Paddy Pimblett might seem to be oozing with confidence at the moment. However, there was a time when he nearly pulled out of his UFC 304 match. Pimblett, boasting a MMA record of 21-3, stepped into the UFC back in 2021. Displaying exceptional skills inside the octagon, Pimblett has remained undefeated in the Dana White-led promotion. Touted as one of the brightest English fighters, Pimblett faces the ‘King Green’ challenge next.
Ahead of their bout, Pimblett seems to be certain about his victory. Terming Bobby Green as an ‘egomaniac’, Paddy Pimblett foreshadowed a first or second-round finish at UFC 304. But things were not the same with the English athlete sometime back. In a recent revelation, ‘Baddy’ opened up about his dark times.
Paddy Pimblett details mental health struggles
Mental health has become a major issue in modern times. Every athlete needs to be mentally in a good place to back their well-conditioned body. We have the famous example of the 7x Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and her ‘twisties’. Without her mind and body syncing up, Biles had to pull out from the middle of the Tokyo Olympics. Much on the same line, Paddy Pimblett too, had a forgettable experience.
In a recent interview with Sky Sports, Paddy Pimblett detailed his struggles. He said, “It’s mad because five weeks ago, I was thinking ‘Oh my god, this is the worst camp of my life, what’s going on here?’ Just a few things went wrong…a couple of weeks ago, a few things personally were getting me down.”
Pimblett also mentioned that he and his coach also thought about pulling out of the fight. Pimblett added, “About five or six weeks ago, my coach was thinking about pulling me out. Mentally, I just wasn’t there…up until like two or three weeks ago.”
However, this was not the only instance of Paddy Pimblett having a mental breakdown.
Paddy Pimblett was in a turbulent mental state following internet hate comments
Paddy Pimblett received a lot of flak after his controversial victory against Jared Gordon. To make matters worse, the English fighter also did not do very well against Tony Ferguson.
This had a negative impact on his fans who lashed out at Pimblett in every possible manner. While detailing the incident, Pimblett stated that he was even asked to take his own life, which left him mentally depressed.
Fortunately, Paddy Pimblett looks all fine now. Aiming to continue his undefeated streak, Pimblett had even downplayed the physical factor of Bobby Green. Thus, with the talks getting intense, it is now up to ‘Baddy’ to back all his talk come UFC 304.
ALSO READ: Paddy Pimblett Receives Damning Prediction for Bobby Green Fight From Former UFC Champion
Latest Articles
