The number of men attending mental health clubs has rocketed over the past week following Paddy Pimblett’s emotionally charged speech following his second-round victory over Jordan Leavitt at UFC London.As You’ll Never Walk Alone boomed out following the Liverpudlian’s triumph, Pimblett urged more men to open up when feeling down and to talk problems through. The fighter had lost a close friend to suicide during the build-up to the fight and delivered an inspirational message during his post-bout interview.“I woke up on Friday morning at 4am to a message that one my friends back home had killed themselves. This was five hours before my weigh-in."There’s 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.”The impact of his powerful words is already being felt after it was confirmed that there had been a big increase in the number of men attending mental health clubs in West Yorkshire. For example, men attending Andy's Man Club, one of the biggest men's mental health groups in West Yorkshire, has rapidly surged with the number of first time attendees spiking.

"Across both of the Leeds and Castleford groups, we have 69 (10 new) and 39 (9 new) who attended respectively. It just shows how much the groups are needed and how more and more men are talking if they're struggling," Andy Wilson of Andy's Man Club told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

"The interview with Paddy Pimblett following his fight at the weekend can only have helped raise awareness on how important is for people to open up and talk if they're struggling with anything and a reminder once again that it's okay to talk."

Mental health consultant Pete White said Pimblett's speech was a "brilliant example of pattern interrupt."

"People were expecting Paddy to give the usual post-fight victory speech, but he delivered an incredibly powerful and vulnerable message about mental health," White told the Yorkshire Evening Post. "This, along with a professional fighter, someone we often view as 'tough' and not concerned with mental health concerns, made people sit up and listen. We need more people doing this from all parts of society - vulnerability empowers."

Roxy Rhodes, a psychotherapist based in Yorkshire, also praised Pimblett and highlighted the importance of his words.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Rhodes said: "He did exactly what is needs to be done and transformed it into simple terms – just start talking"

"The idea of getting “mental health help” often feels too big for anyone who is already at the point of considering suicide. Just talking feels eminently more doable and he brought the decision to get help down to an achievable level. The noise the crowd made during his speech shows the impact this had in that very moment. The stigma is being attacked by some standout men in sport who are using their platforms to demonstrate that mental health is as important as physical health."

Three-time UFC Performance of the Night winner and former CWFC Featherweight champion Pimblett was clearly not afraid to show his emotions and has already had a great impact through his brave words.

“Women talk to each other. Men feel like, 'I can't go and say that to him because he'll think I'm a little emotional.' That's what men think, but as I said in the cage, I'd much rather my friend come to me and speak to me and cry on my shoulder [than] have to cry when I'm carrying his coffin a week later. Split-second decisions ruin lives and that's what happened this weekend."

Men in their 40s is the peak group for suicides in the UK. Hopefully Pimblett and others like him will help more men to open up.