It makes all the sense in the world. Well, maybe not the losing part, but the idea of getting into a fight with someone who you can’t knock out or submit in 30 seconds; one who will be there with more experience and more grit than you’ve ever encountered and one who will take you to the dark places most fighters say they’ll go to but won’t want to. Leavitt, 26, hasn’t been pushed to those limits yet, but he wants to see if he can swim in deep waters in a lightweight division that specializes in such tests of the spirit.
That may be why Leavitt remains one of the most intriguing fighters in the sport, and maybe why his wife, Ashlie, believed in him from the start.
“I was so blessed to have someone like my wife,” said Leavitt. “Dating sucks, but I met the one person who I told I was a fighter, and she didn’t think it was cool. (Laughs) That was a negative in the column for her. She doesn’t like sports, never even heard of Mike Tyson or Floyd Mayweather. I had to tell her, ‘I do this,’ and she’s like, ‘Oh, is it serious?’ And she just took my word for it. She said if you think it’s important and you think you’ve got it, I’ll support you. And it was so matter-of-factly. She said, ‘Up until we have kids, we’ll have to make sure I can work and then you can work part-time, and you’ll figure it out.’ And that was that.”
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The two married in 2019, while the dream Leavitt had since he was a teenager continued in his adult years. And since turning pro in 2017, he’s gone 8-0 with six finishes, including a first-round submission of Jose Flores last August that earned him a UFC contract. And in the post-fight interview, he announced that the Leavitt family would be having a new addition, with Miss Josephine arriving in January. It’s been an interesting 12 months.
“It’s easier than I thought,” said Leavitt, drawing a laugh from this humble scribe who is the father of a 25-year-old. “I think since I’ve never been a good sleeper, I was better prepared than most.”
