"He's one of my favorite athletes of all time and I love his message" - Odie Delaney sees a resemblance in Tyson Fury

Odie Delaney knows there is more to life than excelling in one’s chosen career. The submission specialist is also a mental advocate and one of his goals in life is to become an inspiration to those fighting the invisible battle.

While he’s slowly becoming an inspiration to others, there’s another bigger person that the heavyweight fighter looks up, and that is boxing legend Tyson Fury.

The former police officer broadened his reach by scoring his second victory in ONE Championship when he submitted Iranian Mehdi Barghi in the second round of their match at ONE 158: Tawanchai vs. Larsen last Friday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Delaney admitted that Fury is one of his favorite athletes of all time and he’s followed the boxer’s struggle and eventual victory over depression.

Odie Delaney said in his post-fight interview following ONE 158:

“He's one of my favorite athletes of all time, and I love his message. He's another brother in Christ as well, you know, we share the same faith. And he went through the dark times as well. And came out the other side and now he's helping change the world.”

Fury won the WBC, IBF, WBO, WBA, and The Ring heavyweight titles across his storied career and is considered one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.

He’s also been open about his battle with depression and has been a global voice in advocating for mental health. His status as a boxing legend, coupled with his grandiose personality, made Fury a valuable ambassador in breaking the stigma surrounding mental health.

“You know, everyone knows his name. Every young guy and young girl in a gym knows who he is and what he's about and the things that he's overcome. So yeah, I'm kind of trying to follow his example, if I'm being honest, you know. He's kind of somebody like a role model. And I see the value in what he's doing, I'm trying to do kind of the same thing that he's doing in the MMA,” said Delaney.

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Odie Delaney knows ONE Championship shares his values

Odie Delaney knows he’s not alone in his advocacy, and one of his largest supporters is ONE Championship itself.

In the same interview, Delaney said that ONE Championship is the perfect avenue for his advocacy. It also helps that the undefeated heavyweight shares the same values as ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

“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.”