Wolverhampton's Jai Herbert relieved to get back to winning ways as UFC visits London
Wolverhampton fighter Jai Herbert has spoken of his relief after returning to winning ways in the UFC.
The 33-year-old lightweight faced Canada’s Kyle Nelson at London’s 02 Arena on Saturday, in his first bout since being knocked out by Ilia Topuria at the same venue in March.
Herbert won via unanimous decision and said following the fight: “All I came for was the win, not for performance bonuses or big knockouts, not to please the fans.
“I came here to get the victory, and that’s what I did. It takes a lot to get in there after the loss that I had. But I just stuck in there, stayed focused and got the job done.”
Also at the event, popular Liverpool lightweight Paddy Pimblett revealed he learned a friend had taken his own life ahead of his outing. Pimblett went on to urge men not to suffer in silence in a heartfelt interview after his victory over American Jordan Leavitt.
The 27-year-old overcame the Las Vegas native with a second-round submission.
Pimblett said in his post-fight interview: “I woke up on Friday morning at 4am to a message that one of my friends back home had killed himself. This was five hours before my weigh-in.
“So Ricky lad, that’s for you. But, there is a stigma in this world that men can’t talk. Listen, if you’re a man and you’ve got weight on your shoulders and you think the only way you can solve it is by killing yourself, please speak to someone, speak to anyone.
“People would rather – I know I’d rather have my mate cry on my shoulder than go to his funeral next week. So please, let’s get rid of this stigma and men, start talking.”
