"I love that they've kind of gotten behind my message" - Odie Delaney blessed to have ONE Championship's support in his mental health advocacy

Odie Delaney’s journey in mixed martial arts is not just about winning matches and climbing the ranks, it’s also about pushing and breaking the stigma surrounding mental health.

The jovial heavyweight did just that when he debuted for ONE Championship back in February and he’s since continued on that path after his second win in a row in the promotion.

Delaney recently beat Mehdi Barghi to go 2-0 at ONE 158: Tawanchai vs. Larsen and he’s been nothing but thankful for ONE Championship for helping him in his cause.

In his post-fight interview, Delaney pointed out that ONE Championship was the perfect promotion that allowed him to be a voice in becoming a champion for mental health. He added that he and ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong have the same values in life.

Odie Delaney said:

“I kind of knew before signing with ONE that they would be the perfect promotion. I think my values align with the CEO's values. And, you know, just the culture of the company. I mean, I hang out with all the employees here at ONE, and they all kind of seem like the same, you know, good people, just really good people. About the kind of the traditional martial arts, I think, you know, the way that I kind of grew up with it.”

He added:

“It's been really a blessing to be with ONE and I love that they've kind of gotten behind my message, you know. I wasn't sure if that was going to be the case. And it's already bearing fruit, this morning, I woke up to more messages than I could read on Instagram. People just, you know, 'Hey, you've inspired me, you've helped me, you know, you've made me want to keep going.'”

Getting on the microphone after a win or having conversations with the media isn’t the end for Delaney, though. He said that he also talks to people on Instagram and helps them as much as he could.

“I'm talking to a young guy that's 18 in Greece right now. You know, it's just cool seeing it work. It's really cool seeing it work. And I'm really excited to see what that side of my career is, I'm really excited to see where that goes. Because I think it's going to be really good, meaningful.”

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Odie Delaney wants to be a better advocate for mental health

Odie Delaney said that if he gets more wins in ONE Championship, then that would allow him to get a broader and bigger platform for his advocacy.

The 32-year-old hopes to continue his rise in the promotion so that he can become a bigger voice for mental health.

“I mean, because there's a lot of media attention, I get to kind of speak out against the stigmas concerning mental health, which has been super important to me. And, you know, I've said in previous interviews, the more that I win, and I gain a bigger platform, it's just the more young people's ears that my words are going to reach,” said Odie Delaney.