In the UFC, Paddy Pimblett has emerged as a superstar thanks to his brash personality and nonstop talking. Backing up his words, the Liverpudlian has also delivered some masterclass performances inside the Octagon and now finds himself fighting for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324. But before all of that success, ‘The Baddy’ went through some genuinely dark moments in his life.

Pimblett remains undefeated in the UFC, but he has suffered three losses across his professional career. While setbacks are part of MMA, Pimblett has revealed that two of those defeats in Cage Warriors came in quick succession and hit him especially hard. During that time, the combination of physical pain and losses left him broken enough that he had to stay at a friend’s place and seek therapy.

Paddy Pimblett opens up about battling depression after two Cage Warriors losses

“A couple of years ago, in like 2018 or 2019, I had to go sit down and actually speak to a therapist at James’ place. Well, I lost two out of three fights, and I went into both of them injured. The second one I went into with a broken hand that had just had surgery like three months earlier, and it wasn’t healed,” Pimblett told MensHealth UK.  

“Because the show was at Liverpool, I thought if I pulled out of this show, my friends are not fighting on it. So I still nearly won as well and nearly choked him out in the first round. Because that hand that was broke was under his neck, and I couldn’t get a proper squeeze. And after that, I was just kept waking up every morning and crying,” he added. 

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‘The Baddy’ made his professional MMA debut against Cameron Else at Cage Warriors 60, where Cameron Else caught him in an anaconda choke just 35 seconds into the first round. Pimblett brushed off that setback and went on an impressive run, winning nine straight fights before Nad Narimani handed him another loss at Cage Warriors 82 in 2017.

After that defeat, Pimblett bounced back with a win, but then fell short again against Soren Bak at Cage Warriors 96 in 2018. He later blamed that loss on fighting with a broken hand. Bak criticized the Englishman for leaning on the injury as an excuse, but at the time, that criticism barely mattered to Pimblett. After losing two key fights, the 31-year-old believed his dream of reaching the UFC was slipping away, pushing him deeper into depression.

“Just thinking that my career is over. I could’ve went to the UFC because they were already being offered to go to the UFC twice, and never think about it. My career is over, yeah. I have lost twice in Cage Warriors. My career is over. I’m not getting signed by the UFC,” ‘The Baddy’ further added.  

That recovery proved decisive, as Pimblett eventually made his UFC debut in 2021. Now, he stands on the verge of winning gold. And as the fight date draws closer, the Liverpudlian’s animated personality is in full swing once again, with ‘The Baddy’ taking shots at his legendary opponent.  

‘The Baddy’ claims Justin Gaethje declined fighting him 

On January 24, Paddy Pimblett is set to face Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title. The winner will earn a shot at unifying the belt against the undisputed champion Ilia Topuria, who is eyeing a return between April and June. As the two prepare to collide on the first-ever Paramount+ CBS card, an interesting detail has surfaced. The Scouser revealed that ‘The Highlight’ initially turned down the fight when it was first offered to him in Abu Dhabi.

“He won’t be physically the same after this fight. I will be exactly the same. I’m going to put a beatdown on him like he’s never received. I can promise you that. But it was just another fight to me. When a contract with a name gets sent to me, I sign it. I don’t turn down no fight. I step up, and I fight the person whose name is on the contract. I thought I was going to fight Justin in October in Abu Dhabi, but I think he turned it down,” Pimblett said at UFC 324 pre-fight press conference. 

Last year, UFC 321 went down in Abu Dhabi and quickly turned chaotic after Tom Aspinall’s first title defense unraveled due to a controversial eye poke from Ciryl Gane. But even before the main event drama, a Pimblett vs Gaethje showdown had been floated for the card. However, that fight never materialized. In an ESPN interview at the time, ‘The Highlight’ shut the idea down bluntly, saying, “Absolutely not” when asked about facing the Liverpudlian. Well, the lack of a title on the line likely played a major role in Gaethje’s decision. 

Now, the situation looks very different. With an interim belt up for grabs and momentum building fast, the stakes have never been higher. With an interim title on the line and momentum peaking, UFC 324 now represents the biggest moment of Pimblett’s career.