UFC star Paddy Pimblett has had his Twitter account suspended as he prepares to return to the cage tonight.
The outspoken Liverpudlian is among the most active fighters on social media and often engages in long rows with other users, several of whom have called him out for a fight at his gym. But as he prepares to take on Jordan Leavitt at The O2 tonight, his account has been locked.
This is not the first time the 27-year-old has landed himself in hot water online after his Facebook and Instagram accounts were shut down earlier this year. And having beaten Rodrigo Vargas in London in March, Pimblett called out Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. "I’m going to punch your head in, I am sick of you," he said. "Sick of you shutting my Instagram accounts down when all I do is help charities and help people with mental health problems.
"The hypocritical nature of Instagram and Facebook is just disgusting, and what they get away with. It kills me. Mark Zuckerberg’s a lizard. I’ve got to be a lot smarter on my social media, because as you know, I’ve had two accounts took off me now, and the second account had 120,000 followers."
Pimblett this week explained why he indulges so many trolls on social media, having given out his gym's address several times when called out for a scrap. “I can’t help it, it’s just one of those things. People say ‘oh you shouldn’t give them your time’ but I’ll use to Twitter to pass time. You think I just sit there in my room thinking about Jordan Leavitt? I don't know need to, I'm going to punch his head in anyway," he said.
Should Paddy be allowed back on Twitter? Let us know in the comments section below
"It's crazy the amount of abuse I get on Twitter, it used to be Instagram but that's boiled down a bit. I love putting trolls in their places. Once a day there's always a horrible fella calling scousers victims and saying it's 'never their fault'. They know what they're talking about, it's a Hillsborough jibe.
"Like Mike Tyson said, people think with social media that you don't get punched anymore. What you say on the internet you can get punched in the face for, simple as."
