"I have hurt myself, I know how dark and deep it goes" - UFC Vegas 60 winner opens up on having suicidal thoughts and suffering from depression

Loma Lookboonmee opened up about her mental health struggles after her victory over Denise Gomes at UFC Vegas 60.

During her post-fight press conference, the Thai fighter admitted that her previous loss to Lupita Godinez last year put her in a bleak state of mind. Lookboonmee revealed that she had been suffering from depression and that the loss only made it worse. Holding back tears, the 26-year-old strawweight said:

"After that loss, I went home. It was a very difficult period for me because I had been suffering from depression. After that loss, I said to myself that this was it, I was done. The reason I am standing here today is because of my team and my family who believed in me, who always believed in me and always believed that I would get better and would be able to get back in there today. And that's why I'm here right now."

Thankfully, Lookboonmee appears to be in much better headspace, especially after her bounce-back win.

Asked to send a message to people who are affected by mental health struggles, Lookboonmee advised to always "see value in yourself because it's there."

She stated:

"I'd like to tell people that are suffering from depression and mental illness that I am one of you too and I know how it feels and I know how bad it is."

She added:

"I've had suicidal thoughts, I have hurt myself and I know how dark and deep it goes. I am lucky to have such an amazing team behind me and a family that loves and always sees the value in me and I'm very grateful and blessed to have them."

Watch Loma Lookboonmee's post-fight interview from UFC Vegas 60:

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Loma Lookboonmee outworks Denise Gomes at UFC Vegas 60

Looma Lookboonmee took on fellow Invicta FC alum Denise Gomes, who made a quick turnaround from her win on Dana White’s Contender Series win in August. The short-notice bout saw Gomes stepping in for Diana Belbita, who withdrew from the bout last month.

Lookboonmee utilized her striking advantage to land the cleaner shots on her opponent. On the defensive end, the Muay Thai fighter successfully thwarted Gomes' attempts to tie her up and take the fight to the ground.

Check out these photos from the UFC Vegas 60 fight:

After three rounds, all three judges scored the bout in favor of Lookboonmee (30-27, 30-27, 29-28). Snagging her fourth win in the octagon at UFC Vegas 60, her overall record improved to 7-3.