UFC wants to "weasel" Conor McGregor into top 5, Michael Chandler has nothing to gain: Jordan Leavitt (Exclusive)

UFC lightweight Jordan Leavitt recently weighed in on the highly anticipated return of Conor McGregor, who is set to take on Michael Chandler in the next installment of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). The two are expected to lock horns later this year, but 'The Monkey King' is uninterested in watching them fight.

In an exclusive interview with Andrew Whitelaw of Sportskeeda MMA, Leavitt explained why he wasn't interested in watching McGregor fight Chandler:

"I'm not too intrigued by either of them really. I think they both have a gimmick that doesn't really appeal to me... I think the season will be interesting. I have some friends on it and I'll be watching, but the fight..."

Leavitt added:

"I would prefer they wouldn't even fight. I think it's a way for them to try to weasel Conor into the top-five, if he wins. Chandler, besides the paycheck and attention, doesn't really gain much from that."

Watch the full interview below:

Conor McGregor is currently unranked, while Michael Chandler holds the No.5 spot on the lightweight ladder. However, which weight class they'll compete in is yet to be announced, with both fighters previously teasing a welterweight scrap. Nevertheless, McGregor's stardom could see him earn a title shot with a win, irrespective of which division he fights Chandler in.

Meanwhile, Jordan Leavitt is set to make his sixth appearance in the UFC at UFC Vegas 70. He will face fellow Dana White's Contender Series graduate Victor Martinez, who is making his promotional debut.

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Jordan Leavitt discusses the hype around Paddy Pimblett and shares a unique perspective on losing

Jordan Leavitt fought Paddy Pimblett at UFC London last year, losing via second-round submission. Despite the loss, 'The Monkey King' is happy about the Liverpudlian's success, no matter how controversial.

Pimblett has garnered quite a sizeable fanbase since his UFC debut in 2021, partly thanks to his unique accent and infectious personality. However, his contentious win against Jared Gordon in his last outing at UFC 282 negatively affected his stock.

In the same interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Jordan Leavitt weighed in on the public perception of Pimblett:

"Yeah, I think he was found out in his last fight particularly. Well, you can make the argument... He made some media mishaps on fight week... I'm interested to see how he scrambles in the aftermath of that bad fight week."

He added:

"I always prefer the people that I fought, for them to do better, it makes me look better by association... Hopefully, he looks amazing for the rest of his career and helps me look better."

Watch the LIVE coverage of UFC Fight Night - Krylov vs Spann on Sony Sports Ten 2, Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi) & Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels on 26th February 2023 from 5:30 am IST