Liverpool lightweight Paddy Pimblett revealed he learned a friend had taken his own life ahead of his latest UFC outing on Saturday.
Pimblett went on to urge men not to suffer in silence in a heartfelt interview after his victory over American Jordan Leavitt at London’s O2 Arena.
The 27-year-old overcame the Las Vegas native with a second-round submission.
Pimblett said in his post-fight interview: “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.
“But, there is 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.
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“People would rather… I know I’d rather have my 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.”
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