Paddy Pimblett left the cage in tears after revealing his friend took his own life just hours before the UFC star weighed in for his latest fight.
Pimblett made it three wins from as many fights in the promotion when he choked out Jordan Leavitt at The O2 in London on Saturday night. His victory followed his first-round win at the same venue in March which catapulted him into the public's consciousness.
But the 27-year-old from Liverpool had a sombre message as he addressed the crowd. "I woke up to a message at 4am on Friday that one of my friends from home had killed themselves so Ricky, that's for you. There's a stigma that men can't talk, but if you're a man and you've got a weight on your shoulders, speak to someone, speak to anyone."
Pimblett and Leavitt spent the majority of the first round on the canvas with the Brit inflicting the most damage while his rival controlled the exchanges. But the fight turned on its head in the second session when Pimblett landed a knee to the head and took Leavitt to the ground.
Once there, he was able to take his rival's neck, manouvre himself into position and lock in the rear-naked choke, forcing Leavitt to tap out. But despite his third win since making his UFC debut late last year, Pimblett did not rate his performance.
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"I'm disappointed in my performance," he admitted. "In the back I was firing on all cylinders. I was s***, pardon my French, I'm better than that. That's something I'm very good at [the finish]. I love each and every person in the crowd, they're the best.
Pimblett confirmed he plans to return to the cage before the end of the year but last week revealed he doubts he will fight in the UK again until the UFC books Anfield in Liverpool for a stadium show. Promotion president Dana White has already dismissed the idea which means Pimblett looks set to head Stateside for his next bout.
