"No one wants to see some crappy kickboxing" - Jordan Leavitt hopes Paddy Pimblett fight goes to ground

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Paddy Pimblett and Jordan Leavitt - UFC London face-off [Image courtesy: @ufc via Instagram]

Jordan Leavitt recently weighed in on his upcoming lightweight clash against Paddy Pimblett at UFC London. He stated that he hopes for the fight to turn into a grappling affair.

Speaking to Eurosport, 'The Monkey King' explained that a stand-up battle wouldn't make for an exciting matchup, considering the pair are specialists on the ground. Here's what Leavitt said:

"Statistically speaking, I think it would be a grappling fight, but he's going to knock me out in the first two minutes so maybe it's a striking match. I think it will be awkward. I don't think it's going to be an exciting fight. But we'll see, we'll never know what happens."

He continued:

"I think it's going to be a pretty ugly fight if it stays on the feet. So I hope for the crowd it goes to the ground. We have some really good jiu-jitsu and no one wants to see some crappy kickboxing."

Jordan Leavitt has proven himself to be a solid grappler, holding six submission wins in his 11-fight career. A product of Dana White's Contender Series, 'The Monkey King' is currently 3-1 in the UFC.

Meanwhile, Pimblett has also displayed a strong grappling game throughout his pro-MMA career. 'The Baddy' holds a total of nine submission finishes, with his most recent submission win coming in his last octagon outing against Rodrigo Vargas in March.

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Paddy Pimblett claims to be an overall superior fighter than Jordan Leavitt

Paddy Pimblett has looked nothing but sensational in his last few bouts. 'The Baddy' has also displayed some significant improvements in his striking, with his latest knockout win coming over Luigi Vendramini in his promotional debut.

However, the Liverpudlian is confident he is also a better grappler than his next opponent apart from being a superior striker. Speaking to TMZ Sports, here's what Pimblett said:

"I have better wrestling, better jiu-jitsu, better striking. He literally cannot beat me anywhere. People think he's got good grappling and he hasn't."

Catch Paddy Pimblett's full interview with TMZ Sports below:

Pimblett will head into UFC London tonight seeking his fifth straight first-round finish in front of his countrymen. Leavitt, meanwhile, will aim for his third consecutive win.

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