Jordan Leavitt
Active 2020–present · rated in 1 edition · peak overall 74.0
Scouting report
A twenty-two-second slam knockout of Matt Wiman in his UFC debut launched Jordan "The Monkey King" Leavitt onto highlight reels. Fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada, Leavitt combines flexible Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu transitions and inverted triangles with post-fight dance celebrations, his ground repertoire reflected in an 84 BJJ, 82 Cardio, 78 Wrestling, and 74 Overall rating.
Peak ratings
Jordan Leavitt, the high school wrestler who quit, saw The Ultimate Fighter and came back
Jordan Leavitt quit wrestling in high school, then saw The Ultimate Fighter on television and rejoined the sport. He studied political science at UNLV with thoughts of a career in family law. His first professional win was a Peruvian necktie submission of Tony Martinez, and he earned a contract by submitting Jose Flores with an arm-triangle in the first round on Dana White's Contender Series in August 2020.
Leavitt's ratings, one by one
Boxing. His second lowest at 70. He is not a striker and rarely wins that way, though he stopped Victor Martinez in round one in 2023.
Kickboxing. The lowest at 68. His knockout of Matt Wiman came from a slam rather than a strike.
Wrestling. Good at 78. His slam knockout of Matt Wiman in round one on his debut in 2020 came from his wrestling base.
BJJ. His strongest skill at 84. He submitted Matt Sayles with an inverted triangle in 2021, only the third time that finish had been recorded in the promotion.
Strength. Reasonable at 74, above his striking marks.
Durability. Fine at 76. He was submitted by Chase Hooper in round one in 2023 and by Paddy Pimblett in round two in 2022.
Cardio. Good at 82. He beat Trey Ogden by split decision in 2022.
Fight IQ. Decent at 78. He beat Victor Martinez by first-round TKO in 2023 and Kurt Holobaugh by first-round anaconda choke in 2025.
He is a submission artist: BJJ
BJJ tops his card at 84. He submitted Levion Lewis with an anaconda choke in LFA, and in the big promotion he used an inverted triangle on Matt Sayles and an anaconda choke on Kurt Holobaugh, which earned a Performance of the Night bonus. His Contender Series win in 2020 also came by arm-triangle. He is a natural fit for a team that likes a fighter who hunts chokes in scrambles.
He is not a striker: Kickboxing
Kickboxing at 68 is the lowest of his ratings. His stand-up has not been how he wins: the Wiman fight ended with a slam, and his submission wins came on the mat. His losses to Paddy Pimblett, Chase Hooper and Joanderson Brito were all submissions, so the weakness shows in the mix rather than in one bad striking night. If a fight stays standing, he has few ways to score without shooting for a takedown.
Keep exploring
Closest lightweight profiles to Jordan Leavitt, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Joe Lauzonbest bjj 88 · weakest kickboxing 74
- Jim Millerbest cardio 88 · weakest kickboxing 76
- Kenny Florianbest bjj 86 · weakest strength 74
- Gleison Tibaubest wrestling 88 · weakest kickboxing 70
- Lightweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Grappling vs striking in the draft: a guide that fits Jordan Leavitt's strongest attribute, BJJ.
Draft Jordan Leavitt into your build
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Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Jordan Leavitt is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Jordan Leavitt's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.