Gotta love Paddy the Baddy.
Liverpool native Paddy Plimblitt just might be one of the most compelling characters in all of mixed martial arts right now. I mean the haircut, the thick accent, the hilarious way that he shit talks other fighters… the guy is just electric to watch.
And he walks the walk in the octagon too.
At 19-3, he’s becoming one of the most talked about fighters in the Lightweight division… and he continued his hot streak today.
In a hometown fight of sorts, the 27-year-old submitted Jordan Leavitt in the second round at London’s O2 Arena.
But he also left the octagon in tears:
As it turns out, one of his childhood friends took their own life recently, and Paddy used his win as an opportunity to speak directly to men about the stigmas around mental health.
It was a powerful moment, no doubt:
“I woke up on Friday morning at 4am to a message that one of my friends back home had killed himself. This was five hours before my weigh-in. So, Ricky lad, that’s for you.
There’s a stigma in this world that men can’t talk. Listen… if you’re a man and you’ve got weight on your shoulders, and you think the only way you can solve it is by killing yourself, please speak to someone. Speak to anyone.
People would rather… I know I’d rather have me mate cry on my shoulder, than go to his funeral next week.
So please, let’s get rid of this stigma. And men start talking!”
Amen.
