‘I Didn’t Appreciate the Career’- Former UFC Fighter Jonathan Goulet Opens up on Depression and Mental Health Issues

MMA can be an unforgiving sport. Fighters experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in the sport and are often alone to deal with the swing of emotions. Many UFC fighters have opened up about the fact that dealing with a loss is hard. 

It gets harder as the losses pile on, given that months of work go into every training camp. Unlike other sports, fighters do not get a chance to prove themselves every week. Hence, one loss can set them back by months.

Former UFC fighter, and Canadian mixed martial arts pioneer, Jonathan Goulet, is one such fighter who has been victim to the dark side of MMA. 

Read: Gilbert Burns reveals what went wrong in UFC 258 loss to Kamaru Usman

UFC fighter Jonathan Goulet reveals the tumultuous journey he has been on since retiring

While speaking to La Voix de l’est opened up about his struggles with depression. He said, “There is no age at all to suffer from depression. Me, at 10, I wanted to die. And after my career in mixed martial arts, I wanted to die again. But walking, getting some fresh air, it feels good, it helps fight disease”

“I didn’t appreciate the career I had in mixed martial arts because of it. I was retired and everyone was saying to me: ‘Wow, you had a whole career, you even fought in UFC!’ But I didn’t see it like that because I was in pain. Today, I am able to savor what I have achieved.” (translation via Google Translate)

In a bid to raise awareness about mental illnesses and erase some of the stigma attached to the same, Goulet has walked from his home city of Quebec and aims to make it to Ottawa by April. 

Goulet finished his MMA career with a record of 23-12. Out of his 12 losses, nine of them came via knockout, which would have surely had an impact on someone suffering from depression from an early age. 

‘The Road Warrior’ is not the only fighter to admit to struggling with mental health issues. Recently, Karolina Kowalkiewicz also admitted to having suffered from depression during her four-fight skid. 

Do you think the UFC and other MMA promotions should do more to help athletes cope with losses? Let us know in the comments below!