In the world of mixed martial arts, talking about mental health issues was seen as a taboo by many fighters. However, that seems to be changing. After former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski tearfully talked about struggling with mental health issues after his UFC 294 loss to Islam Makhachev, Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett has followed suit. In a recent interview, the English UFC lightweight star revealed he had had “the worst fight camp of his life” and was struggling so hard with mental health he almost pulled out of his upcoming fight. However, the response from a section of fans has been so apparently hurtful to the Scouser that he realized why more fighters didn’t talk about it.

Paddy Pimblett is scheduled to face the fighter formerly known as Bobby Green (now King Green) at the upcoming UFC 304 card in Manchester. However, his mental health issues were so bad that his coach suggested that the Englishman pull out from the fight. Pimblett, however, refused and will indeed face the UFC vet in a bout that could see him break into the lightweight rankings, if he wins.

After he revealed his struggles in an interview, some fans took it as an opportunity to troll him. ‘Paddy the Baddy’ took to Instagram and shared screenshots of fans asking him to kill himself, while some posted pictures of the Hillsborough Disaster to get under his skin. The Hillsborough disaster, of course, is possibly the greatest tragedy in British sports, which saw 97 people Liverpudlians crushed to death at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield during a football match in 1989.

“No wonder men don’t speak up. I put my feelings out there and tell men it’s okay to talk. I just get told to kill myself and have pictures of scousers dying sent in the reply’s. We need to change this mindset,” he wrote. Pimblett has been quite unpopular among fans lately, mostly because of his controversial bout against Jared Gordon in 2022.

This was followed by a victory over fan-favorite Tony Ferguson, not to mention him ganging up with Dana White to speak against veteran UFC journalist Ariel Helwani. And the animosity the fans have for the Liverpool native was on full display on his social media handle after the Sky Sports interview. Fresh off his mental health struggles, Pimblett is now determined to make sure of his upcoming opponent’s well-being.

Pimblett promises to knockout King Green

Paddy Pimblett was in a rut. While Scouser did not talk about the reasons for his depression, he did reveal how he managed to get through it: keeping a positive attitude and continuing to believe in himself. However, for his upcoming opponent, the supremely self-confident King Green, whom he diagnosed with being an ‘egomaniac’, he had a more belligerent treatment plan: a knockout.

“I’m gonna come out and take his head off his shoulders. So I’m predicting a 1st or 2nd round knockout or submission. I’m an all-around MMA fighter… I’m gonna shut a lot of you haters up with this performance. I just can’t wait to come out and put this egomaniac in his place,” the Scouser declared confidently.

Pimblett is in a mood not only to make Green’s head right but also rub it in the fans’ faces, which, given that Green is among the most popular fighters on the UFC roster, isn’t hard to imagine. If that is, the Scouser wins their UFC 304 clash. What is your prediction for the UFC 304 bout? Let us know in the comments below.

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