"I'm suspicious of his whole shtick" - Jordan Leavitt believes the vibe Paddy Pimblett brings before fights "is mostly an act"

Paddy Pimblett (left) and Jordan Leavitt (right) [Right image via UFC.com]

Jordan Leavitt doubts whether Paddy Pimblett is as confident as he looks and sounds heading into fights. The 27-year-old believes that Pimblett displays "false bravado" ahead of fights to boost his own morale and hide his insecurities.

Leavitt and Pimblett will lock horns inside the octagon this weekend at UFC London. The much-anticipated Fight Night event will take place at the O2 Arena in London, England on July 23. Heading into the fight, Leavitt claimed that he is "suspicious" of Pimblett's "whole shtick."

Paddy Pimblett gets his toughest test to date when he faces Jordan Leavitt (10-1) at UFC London 🔥 https://t.co/Z7kELshtn3

Leavitt trained with recently retired UFC fighter Donald Cerrone at Syndicate MMA. He claimed that even 'Cowboy', despite having years of experience, used to be nervous before fights. This makes him doubt whether Pimblett is fearless or trying to make everyone believe he is.

During a recent interaction with the media ahead of UFC London, Leavitt said:

"I do think it's mostly an act. I know a lot of fighters and I've trained with 'Cowboy' for the past like seven, eight years and he's very nervous before fights. And if he who has the second most fights in the UFC gets nervous, has all these insecurities, I know everyone else does too. So I'm very suspicious of like blind bravado a lot. When I see it from a fighter, I feel like it's usually hiding insecurities... I'm suspicious of his whole shtick."

Watch the interview below:

Jordan Leavitt claims he won't be "star-struck" heading into Paddy Pimblett clash

While he isn't underestimating Paddy Pimblett by any means, Jordan Leavitt isn't in awe of the immense hype surrounding his British opponent. He is looking at the fight like any other in the UFC and doesn't yet regard 'The Baddy' as an elite MMA fighter.

Opening odds for #UFCLondon
Jordan Leavitt (+210)
Paddy Pimblett (-255) https://t.co/ZmXqS5IMO5

He pointed out that Pimblett is just two fights old in the promotion and has fought people who don't have a very flattering professional record. That's why he doesn't recognize Pimblett as a bonafide star in the promotion. He stated:

"I didn't really know about Paddy until his debut so I don't think I'm gonna be star-struck. I don't really see him as a star. He's just a guy that's [2-0] in the UFC and he fought some guys that had losing records in the UFC and there's plenty of guys in the roster like that. So I'm just going to stop trying to separate this fight from the flash."

In his last fight back in April, Jordan Leavitt picked up a split-decision win against Trey Ogden. Fans will find out whether or not he can put an end to the hype surrounding Paddy Pimblett this weekend.