‘You can save a life by talking’: Paddy Pimblett opens up about the impact of his powerful mental health speech

Paddy Pimblett isn't just a hard-hitting, sweet-talking, ket wig-sporting, food-loving Liverpool lad who has become one of the most-likeable figures in the UFC.

No, it turns out he's far more than just that.

For someone like Paddy, his time in the spotlight serves a far greater purpose than just caving peoples heads in.

Following his submission win over Jordan Leavitt at UFC London back in July, Pimblett made headlines around the world for his powerful speech about mental health, revealing that he'd lost a dear friend to suicide in the lead up to the fight.

Paddy's emotional words carried weight and viewers watching from around the world wasted no time in heaping praise on him.

Not just that, though, we actually saw action too with a huge increase in men coming forward and seeking help.

Less than six months on and the local lad from Huyton in Merseyside is set to co-headline his very first UFC card under the bright lights of the fabulous Las Vegas.

But while further fame and shiny belts are undoubtedly to come, in Paddy's eyes, the feeling of getting his hand raised inside the octagon will never come close to the impact he hopes to make outside of it.

"Obviously I want to be the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be. That's why I step foot inside the cage," Pimblett told SPORTbible Australia.

"But to me, other things mean more than that outside the cage.

"If I can save one person's life just by talking, or I can help feed kids who are living on the bread line, then that'll mean more than any fight will."

Never one to shy away from his own battles, Paddy then shared some advice for anyone else struggling.

"For me, I just speak to people. Years ago I used to bottle it all up inside and it'd eat away at me," he added.

"When I was very depressed and down and thought about suicide myself, it was when I would never speak to anyone. I'd just keep it all bottled up.

"A problem shared is a problem halved. In your own head, everything is 10 times worse. Inside your own head, things are just so bad! Like, you don't realise how much your mind plays tricks with you.

"That's until you speak to someone and say 'lad, what do you think about this?' And they say 'that's normal, I think like that too'.

"I always tell people to speak. Just talk to one another and it'll make the world a better place."

In the wake of Pimblett's heartfelt post-fight interview, SPORTbible Australia posted about the increased number of men choosing not to take their own lives as a result of his message.

Amplifying Paddy's incredible voice, it was actually the page's best-performing social post in history, reaching nearly 21 million people and being liked 358,000 times.

"That's amazing for me to hear," Pimblett said when told about it.

"Just on your page alone reaching 20 million people. Hopefully, if something like that saves one person's life and stopped them from doing harm on themselves, then it was worth it.

"People's live are far more precious than me winning any fight in a cage. It's that simple."