Kiwi UFC featherweight fighter Shane Young has revealed his battle with mental health and credits a family visit to Napier which helped him get back to doing what he does best, fighting in the octagon.
Young said that he took time off training last month to get back to his roots after going through a marriage break-up with his partner.
The 25-year-old opened up to his family about his personal issues and said their support is what helped him become a better person and fighter.
"I went through all this stuff battling my demons perceived or otherwise. I took myself to real depths," said Young.
"Now I am on the upside of that, I knew it was going to come but it is interesting all the benefits I'm getting from it [talking about mental health] - both in the real world with how people are treating me and how I am treating myself."
Young is set to fight at UFC 234 in Melbourne on February 10, along with his Auckland City Kickboxing teammates Israel Adesanya and Kai Kara France.
"I will urge anyone that hears that and is going through anything to do with their mental health, any bad whakaaro [thoughts] that they are having, just to try what I did," Young said.
"Head back to their whānau, get back to their hapū [tribe]and reconnect with who they are."
Young has had two fights in the UFC, losing his first bout to Alexander Volkanovski by unanimous decision in 2017, but won his last fight via second round TKO in June last year.
He will face US rival Austin Arnett next month at UFC 234.
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