Paddy Pimblett named 'Celebrity of the Year' at awards ceremony for his battle with depression

P. Pimblett (photo) in UFC victory. Photo: Reproduction / Twitter @UFCEurope

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In good form in the UFC, the English star Paddy Pimblett was surprised to receive the 'Celebrity of the Year' award at the 'National Diversity Awards'. The fighter was honoured for his charitable efforts in Liverpool (ENG), including his calls to speak more openly about depression and suicide.

When called to the stage, Pimblett appeared surprised and, in an improvised speech, revealed that he thought he was only there because he was from Liverpool.

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“You know, I’m not going to lie. I don’t have any prepared speeches or anything like that. I didn’t expect this; I thought I was just here to fill out the list for this category. I thought, ‘Yeah, he’s from Liverpool. Let’s invite him. He’s going to come!’ But I won!” said the 15th-placed lightweight (up to 70,3 kg).

In his speech, the fighter thanked his foundation and reinforced that he is just a normal guy.

“I can’t thank you enough for choosing me. But like I said, I just do what I do. I’m just a normal guy from Liverpool and I said what I said that night, and obviously I kept my word. I have to say a big thank you to my foundation, The Baddy Foundation, and the people I work with, James’s Place. They save lives all the time, men’s lives. They saved mine. So a big thank you to them.”

Pimblett and the fight against depression and suicide

At the awards ceremony, the National Diversity Awards aired the speech Pimblett gave after his win over Jordan Leavitt, at UFC Fight Night 208, held in London, in 2022. In his speech, the fighter took the opportunity to pay tribute to his friend who had recently committed suicide and used the interview to speak out, raising awareness about men's mental health.

“I woke up on Friday morning at 4am and got a text from home saying that one of my friends had committed suicide. That was five hours before the weigh-in. So Ricky, this is for you! There’s a stigma in this world that men can’t complain. Listen, if you’re a man and you’re carrying a lot of weight on your shoulders and you think the only solution is to take your own life, please talk to someone,” Pimblett said at the time.

In your last fight, Paddy Pimblett submits King Green in a triangle choke in the first round at UFC 304, which took place in Manchester (ENG), in July 2024. The fighter does not currently have a fight scheduled.