You can’t google UFC at the moment without the scouse pair of “Meatball” Molly McCann and Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett popping up.

The pair of MMA fighters have become very close since they joined the UFC, and have seen them both record impressive records, especially of late. Molly managed a third straight win in a row for the first time and caused the end of the fight for a second time in a row with a spinning elbow to catch her opponent unaware.

Paddy on the other hand had his toughest task yet against Jordan Leavitt who said he would knock the Liverpool-born fighter out following his comments that “scousers don’t get knocked out”. But once Paddy got Leavitt on the mat, his legs wrapped around his body and his arm under the chin of his opponent, it wasn’t a matter of if Paddy would win but when.

Since we’ve already focused on female fighters once before though, in our article about women’s boxing being better than men’s, we thought today is only right to focus on the man of the hour. So here are three things we learned about Paddy the Baddy following his display at UFC London.

Ending the stigma around mental health

You have likely seen the clip that went viral following the end of the fight, if not, we’ll leave it below for you to watch. But to sum it up quickly, hours before his weigh-in for the fight, Paddy received a phone call that a friend of his from back home had sadly taken his life.

Yet, ever the professional, he never revealed this or let it distract him from his goal of recording another victory in the UFC. Or if it did affect him, he didn’t let it show.

But once the fight was over, Paddy paid tribute to his friend and encouraged those watching to end the stigma around men and mental health, that you’re not a man if you talk about feelings and how he wanted to end that. He encouraged people that if they were feeling that way to speak to someone. Anyone. Because people would much rather someone spoke out than feel like the only way out is taking their own life.

Following this speech, Paddy then broke down in tears before security and Meatball Molly ushered him backstage. They really were emotional scenes, but they were scenes that have been shared millions of times to help eradicate the stigma around men and mental health.

No more fights at the O2 Arena

One thing that Paddy has been calling out for, some time, is a fight held at Anfield, the home of Liverpool FC. Dana White has said in the past that this won’t be something that happens, but as Paddy Pointed out, Dana once said the same about women fighting in the UFC, then came along Ronda Rousey and look at the women’s scene now.

In an effort to try and make his dream happen of walking out above the Anfield turf in front of a roaring Kop, Paddy has now refused to fight again at the O2 Arena. In a very Connor McGregor-like move, he has come out and declared the venue too small and that despite what Dana has previously said, an Anfield event will happen because “the Baddy’s came along”.

An empty Anfield Stadium - Home of Liverpool FC

Paddy is a man of his word

Ok, so this one isn’t a serious thing we learned about the Baddy following his fight at UFC London, but it was hilarious. In the build-up to the fight, Paddy on numerous occasions said he was going to teabag his opponent when he wins just like in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. He then proceeded to explain to the audience watching what teabagging was. 

After he made Leavitt tap out from a rear naked choke hold, he quickly got to his feet before he was reminded of his promise to which he quickly turned around and squatted down as Leavitt lay on the floor. Luckily, rather than taking offence, the American let out a cheeky smile as Paddy laughed back and it seemed the pair ended the fight on good terms.

But it just goes to show that when the Baddy says he is going to do something, he’s a man of his word and sticks by what he says. So, I guess we should believe that he’ll never get knocked out and that a fight will be happening soon at Anfield too.

And there you have it, three things we learned about Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett following his latest fight at UFC London. What do you think of the above? Do you agree that the stigma around mental health needs to end? Who do you think Paddy will fight next? Let us know in the comments below.

You can be sure to find more UFC articles in the Combat Sports section of thatsallsport.com. This article was written and provided by WriteyWrite.com.