Paddy The Baddy talks fighting, fans, and his big persona

He’s known for his big kicks, hard punches and larger-that-life personality.

Earlier in 2023, I got to speak with MMA star Paddy Pimblett about—well—what his deal is.

Perhaps it was for that reason that Pimblett, who called me “fella” and “lad” throughout our Zoom interview, seems like the kind of dude that Guy Ritchie would cast in one of his films. I mention that and ask if he sees “Paddy The Baddy” in future motion pictures.

“Yeah, definitely,” Pimblett said. “I’ll be in movies one day, lad. Don’t worry about that. I’ll be in films, 100%!”

But few athletes are having more fun than Paddy Pimblett, who says it’s not all about social media fame.

As many of his biggest fans know, the 2022 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year has also become a huge advocate of mental health. 

He recently established The Baddy Foundation, an organization that aims to uplift communities by helping support people’s most basic needs. Among them are food insecurity and also combatting the stigma around mental health—especially men’s mental health. 

Read the full Forbes.com interview story with Paddy Pimblett here.

Andy Frye interviews Tony Hawk

Despite what you think, there is plenty to be “stoked” about when you’re in the fifth decade of your life.

For Tony Hawk, participating once again in the X Games—this time against teenaged in the vert competition—is what gets his board up.

“I am going to be 55 years old next month,” Hawk said earlier this spring when I spoke to him via Zoom. After pausing a moment to laugh, he said “and I am competing in the X Games! There’s not a lot of sports where you have 55-year-olds who get to compete with teenagers.”

In this April 2023 interview, Hawk talks about how much skateboarding as changed and evolved, while sticking to the core ethic that saw it become a worldwide phenomenon.

Read the full Forbes.com interview story with Tony Hawk here.

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