“With men, you feel like if you say something [vulnerable], they’re going to think you’re a mushroom.” Paddy Pimblett isn’t exactly the voice you expect to hear in a conversation about mental health. But that’s what makes it hit harder. The UFC lightweight is best known for his goofy antics, but when he gets serious, you know it’s something worth paying attention to. He made it loud and clear. Men need to talk. Period. If someone as lighthearted as ‘The Baddy’ feels the need to drive this message home, what does that say about the rest of the fight game? Fighters are expected to embody toughness, the very pinnacle of masculinity. But does that expectation come at a heavy cost?

Sean Strickland, who knows a thing or two about mental battles, has some advice to spare. “I love Bryce… don’t hold this against me, but therapy would do him wonders,” Strickland wrote on X. Not exactly a Hallmark moment, but in a sport where showing vulnerability is often seen as a weakness, his bluntness might be exactly what Bryce Mitchell needs to hear.

Mitchell, gearing up for his fight against Jean Silva at UFC 314 isn’t just fighting an opponent inside the cage. He claims he’s battling something much darker outside of it. Ever since the UFC 314 press conference, Mitchell says his nights have been dealing with relentless nightmares. “Every single night since the day before the press conference, I’ve had demonic dreams. Legions of demons are attacking me every single time I sleep.” ‘Thug Nasty’ claims in the Instagram video that Silva is “possessed“. He insisted their fight is more than just a sporting contest.

If that sounds extreme, ‘Tarzan’ thinks so too. “If every time I had an intrusive thought I thought, ‘oh it’s the devil,’ I’d lose my mind. Intrusive thoughts aren’t the devil, Bryce… probably just fight anxiety manifesting itself in f***ed up thoughts,” he said.

Strickland, who has had his fair share of mental battles, is no stranger to intrusive thoughts. But in his mind, Mitchell’s struggles might be less about supernatural forces and more about the unforgiving mental pressure of being a UFC fighter. And ‘Thug Nasty’ isn’t alone.

Are there other fighters who can relate to Sean Strickland?

The pressure to perform at the highest level has broken many fighters before. Take Jimmy Crute, for example. Once labeled the future of the light heavyweight division, Crute went on a three-fight losing streak and nearly walked away from the sport. “I wasn’t in a good place,” Crute admitted ahead of his UFC 312 return against Rodolfo Bellato. “I went to the dark side for a while, but I got help, and now I’m back.”

His coach, Sam Greco, put it bluntly, “To continue and not be in a good place is dangerous. He accepted that, got help, and now he’s here.” Crute’s return ended in a majority draw. But for him, even stepping back inside the cage was a victory in itself.

Strickland himself has spoken candidly about his own battles. May it be his traumatic childhood, or his recent disturbing intrusive thoughts. The former champ, upholding his unfiltered persona, has never shied away from addressing his struggles. His post-fight rants might be chaotic, but at their core, they reveal the harsh reality of a fighter’s mind.

Paddy Pimblett, another fighter who has made mental health his mission, said, “There’s a stigma in this world that men can’t talk. If you’ve got weight on your shoulders and think the only way to solve it is by killing yourself, please speak to someone.” When he delivered that message after a fight in 2022, the impact was immediate. The number of men seeking help skyrocketed. At the end of the day, MMA isn’t just about striking, grappling, or who lands the hardest shot.

The toughest battles often happen outside the cage. In the minds of the fighters who step in there. But is the mental war in MMA just as brutal as the physical one? Share your thoughts in the comments below!