Tag: cub swanson

Cub Swanson: ‘I’ve Always Believed That Fighters Owe the Fans a Show’

From a very young age, UFC featherweight Cub Swanson knew he was destined to become a professional athlete of some kind.If you had told Swanson he’d be fighting inside an Octagon for one of the world’s fastest growing organizations such as the UFC, he’…

From a very young age, UFC featherweight Cub Swanson knew he was destined to become a professional athlete of some kind.

If you had told Swanson he’d be fighting inside an Octagon for one of the world’s fastest growing organizations such as the UFC, he’d probably say you’re crazy.

But that’s exactly what Swanson will be doing when he takes on George Roop at UFC on FOX 2 on Saturday, Jan. 28th.

UFC on FOX 2 will take place at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois beginning at 5 p.m. PT and 8 p.m. ET.

In a recent interview with Bleacher Report’s Garrett Derr, Swanson discussed how his unexpected journey led him to a career inside the Octagon.

“I always thought I would make it as a professional athlete but I thought it would be playing soccer,” said Swanson. “I decided to pursue MMA after training Brazilian jiu-jitsu for about a year and seeing my first fight. I told myself, that looks scary but I think I could do that.”

“So, I started training MMA and those around me started telling me I had potential. I started to think I could maybe make it a career, but it wasn’t a popular sport at the time. I knew the sport would be huge someday and I figured I could make it big right as the sport got big,” stated Swanson.

At first glance, Swanson’s track record has caused many to mistake him for just another average fighter.

However, Swanson has fallen to the jaws of defeat to some of the greatest martial artists of all time in Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes and Jens Pulver.

Swanson’s stiff competition has come to prove that Zuffa has a great deal of confidence in his talents and ability.

“I believe the UFC knows I’m capable of fighting the top guys and that I’m willing to take them all on. There aren’t any easy fights in Zuffa,” said Swanson. “It’s the greatest fighters in world trying to see who’s the best of the best.”

While Swanson’s No. 1 priority is to have his hand raised, he feel he owes the fans an exciting fight in the process.

“I’ve always believed that fighters owe the fans a show. I’m a fighter and my job is to beat the man in front of me, but, I want to do it in a way that is memorable to people,” stated Swanson.

“Cub” will have the opportunity to give the fans what they desire when he meets Roop in a featherweight showdown in front of a sold out United Center.

Swanson recognizes Roop as a serious contender in the 145-pound weight division as he’s coming off an impressive performance against Hatsu Hioki at UFC 137.

However, Swanson feels he has what it takes to get his first Octagon victory when the two meet in a few short days.

“George did great in that fight and I thought he won, but that was a completely different fight than what ours will be like,” said Swanson. “Obviously his reach will be a factor in this fight but I’m not overly concerned.”

“I really love this matchup because Roop is always game to brawl and that gets me fired up for this fight. I’m the more complete fighter and I have the tools to shut him down,” stated Swanson.

Swanson’s main goal for his FOX debut is simple.

“I really want to show the fans that he isn’t on my level and that I’m a much better fighter,” said Swanson. “I just really want to smash this kid.”

Over the course of his career, for some reason or another, Swanson has developed a somewhat “mean” personality or is at least portrayed that way.

But that isn’t who Swanson is at all, as looks can be deceiving.

“I think fans see me fight and think I’m a very mean and intense person but in reality I’m very shy, quite and laid back.”

“I want all the fans to know that this is not just a job but it’s my life. I have sacrificed so much to be here in the UFC and all I want is to entertain them,” stated Swanson. 

At just 28 years of age, Swanson clearly has much more to offer to the sport of MMA and feels that he is just getting started.

As time progresses, Swanson is determined to make every moment count as he knows in a blink of an eye it could all be over.

“I want people to remember me as being an exciting fighter and that I fight my heart out every time I’m out there,” stated Swanson. “For myself I want to retire knowing I reached my full potential as a martial artist, so that I can move on to my next chapter in life.”

Swanson concluded by stating,

“I don’t want to ever wonder if I could’ve done more.”

 

For additional information, follow Garrett Derr on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Booking Roundup: Swanson vs. Roop at UFC on FOX 2, Brenneman vs. Roberts at UFC on FX 1


(Roop: seen here enforcing the theory that a straight shot to the head will kill any zombie.) 

Looking to rebound from his controversial decision loss to Hatsu Hioki at UFC 137, featherweight contender and TUF 8 alum George Roop has recently agreed to face Cub Swanson at UFC on Fox 2. Prior to the Hikoi loss, Roop scored a brilliant thrid round TKO over Josh Grispi at the TUF 13 Finale in June. Swanson, on the other hand, is coming off a less-than-controversial second round submission via arm triangle choke to Ricardo Lamas in his UFC debut at UFC on Fox 1. The Team Jackson product has dropped three of his last five and should need a win here if he wants to continue fighting under the Zuffa banner.

Fun fact: Roop hasn’t put together a win streak since 2007 and has gone loss-win in his past 9 bouts (excluding a draw with Leonard Garcia), so pure logic dictates that he will emerge victorious from this one. You can’t argue with that science, Potato Nation.


(Roop: seen here enforcing the theory that a straight shot to the head will kill any zombie.) 

Looking to rebound from his controversial decision loss to Hatsu Hioki at UFC 137, featherweight contender and TUF 8 alum George Roop has recently agreed to face Cub Swanson at UFC on Fox 2. Prior to the Hikoi loss, Roop scored a brilliant thrid round TKO over Josh Grispi at the TUF 13 Finale in June. Swanson, on the other hand, is coming off a less-than-controversial second round submission via arm triangle choke to Ricardo Lamas in his UFC debut at UFC on Fox 1. The Team Jackson product has dropped three of his last five and should need a win here if he wants to continue fighting under the Zuffa banner.

Fun fact: Roop hasn’t put together a win streak since 2007 and has gone loss-win in his past 9 bouts (excluding a draw with Leonard Garcia), so pure logic dictates that he will emerge victorious from this one. You can’t argue with that science, Potato Nation.

In other booking news, Daniel “Ninja” Roberts announced on his Twitter yesterday that he will be facing inaugural Pros vs. Joes winner (whaa?) Charlie Brenneman in a welterweight tilt set for the UFC’s debut on FX, which features a headlining bout between Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller. Roberts has dropped two straight bouts to Claude Patrick and Rich Attonio at UFC 129 and UFC Live 4, respectively; a loss here will surely secure him a spot in the unemployment line alongside his past three UFC victims.

Brenneman recently saw a two-fight win streak, including a decision upset over Rick Story, snapped at the hands (and feet) of Anthony “Rumble” Johnson at UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson in October. Unfortunately for Brenneman, his only wins inside the octagon other than Story have similarly come over now released fighters in Jason High and Amilcar Alves, so this match-up could likely be Zuffa’s way of trimming some fat from its welterweight division.

UFC on FOX 2 goes down January 28th from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. UFC on FX transpires just eight days prior at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

-Danga 

MMA Monday Headlines with the TUF 14 Finale Octagon Girls (EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS)

Michael Bisping tops TUF 14 Finale salaries by A LOT with $425,000 payout. Some mugger tried to rob an MMA fighter and quickly found out that was a bad idea. Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson.

Michael Bisping tops TUF 14 Finale salaries by A LOT with $425,000 payout.

Some mugger tried to rob an MMA fighter and quickly found out that was a bad idea.

Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson set for UFC 144 in Japan.

UFC on FX 1 to feature Charlie Brenneman vs. Daniel “Ninja” Roberts.

UFC on Fox 2: Evans vs. Davis adds George Roop vs. Cub Swanson and Demetrious Johnson vs. Eddie Wineland.

TUF 15 tryouts in Vegas gets over 350 fighters including Kultar Gill and Jamie Yager.

Our exclusive photos of the lovely Arianny Celeste and Chandella Powell by Joe Pic Photography below:

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‘UFC on FOX’ GIF Party: The Fights They (Practically) Didn’t Want You To See

Knock it off, you two. We said “Gif Party”, not “Punch Face Party“! (Props: Cagewriter/Tracy Lee)

It’s not everyday that we’re treated to “the biggest fight in the history of the sport”, and even rarer that a single gif covers the pre-fight warm up, the bout, the post-fight celebration, and the after party at Ghost Bar. That calls for a GIF party. Though the sole focus of last night’s UFC on FOX event yielded precious little in terms of motion-picture awesomeness, the fighters relegated to the dark corners of social media came through in spades.

Join us after the jump for an incredible collection of throws, slams, submissions, knock outs, spinning everythings, and even some good old fashioned mid-fight showboating.

(Thanks to Zombie Prophet, as usual, for the gifs)

Knock it off, you two. We said “Gif Party”, not “Punch Face Party“!  (Props: Cagewriter/Tracy Lee)

It’s not everyday that we’re treated to “the biggest fight in the history of the sport”, and even rarer that a single gif covers the pre-fight warm up, the bout, the post-fight celebration, and the after party at Ghost Bar. That calls for a GIF party. Though the sole focus of last night’s UFC on FOX event yielded precious little in terms of motion-picture awesomeness, the fighters relegated to the dark corners of social media came through in spades.

Join us after the jump for an incredible collection of throws, slams, submissions, knock outs, spinning everythings, and even some good old fashioned mid-fight showboating.

(Thanks to Zombie Prophet, as usual, for the gifs)

CAIN VELASQUEZ vs JUNIOR DOS SANTOS

DAMARQUES JOHNSON vs CLAY HARVISON

MACKENS SEMERZIER vs ROBBIE PERALTA

‘UFC on FOX’ Aftermath: Thank God for Facebook

The shorts don’t lie. (Pic: UFC.com)

In the weeks leading up to last night’s Heavyweight Championship bout, Dana White trumpeted that “whether this fight goes 30 seconds or 30 minutes, this is going to be a fight right here.” It was a fight, and it was slightly longer than 30 seconds, but in the post fight analysis Dana appeared frustrated and was searching for a reason that his champion went down so quickly. With all of the buildup and hype, I can’t help but think that first time viewers were equally confused and found the whole affair to be anticlimactic. Were that all the action we got to see last night, we’d probably be disappointed as well, but thank god for Facebook.

With regards to the main event, there’s not a lot to say, really. Junior Dos Santos hits hard. Cain’s game plan has been under attack, but it’s not like he got butchered on his feet for two rounds while doggedly refusing to shoot for a single. Velasquez got nailed with a huge overhand right just 55 seconds into the bout after already trying unsuccessfully for a takedown. Obviously, getting Dos Santos off of his feet quickly would have been Cain’s best option, but for a versatile heavyweight fighting under the brightest lights ever shone on a UFC fighter, shooting in for a Couture-Toney ankle pick with the opening bell still ringing wouldn’t do. Props to Dos Santos for getting it done quickly and violently in the Knock Out of the Night. It wasn’t the most epic fight that the UFC and FOX could have hoped for, but it was a memorable one. That Dos Santos did it with a torn meniscus is all the more impressive.

The shorts don’t lie. (Pic: UFC.com)

In the weeks leading up to last night’s Heavyweight Championship bout, Dana White trumpeted that “whether this fight goes 30 seconds or 30 minutes, this is going to be a fight right here.”  It was a fight, and it was slightly longer than 30 seconds, but in the post fight analysis Dana appeared frustrated and was searching for a reason that his champion went down so quickly. With all of the buildup and hype, I can’t help but think that first time viewers were equally confused and found the whole affair to be anticlimactic. Were that all the action we got to see last night, we’d probably be disappointed as well, but thank god for Facebook.

With regards to the main event, there’s not a lot to say, really. Junior Dos Santos hits hard. Cain’s game plan has been under attack, but it’s not like he got butchered on his feet for two rounds while doggedly refusing to shoot for a single. Velasquez got nailed with a huge overhand right just 55 seconds into the bout after already trying unsuccessfully for a takedown. Obviously, getting Dos Santos off of his feet quickly would have been Cain’s best option, but for a versatile heavyweight fighting under the brightest lights ever shone on a UFC fighter, shooting in for a Couture-Toney ankle pick with the opening bell still ringing wouldn’t do. Props to Dos Santos for getting it done quickly and violently in the Knock Out of the Night. It wasn’t the most epic fight that the UFC and FOX could have hoped for, but it was a memorable one. That Dos Santos did it with a torn meniscus is all the more impressive.

It’s easy to say that the Henderson-Guida bout should have been broadcast in hindsight, but it was pretty obvious ahead of time as well. There was no doubt that their fight would be balls to the wall, and it may have been the organization’s best chance of finally securing the Prell sponsorship that’s eluded them for all these years. Guida’s style relies on a relentless pace and a controlling top game, but he met a superior wrestler and a cardio-equal in Bendo. His take down defense gave him control of the fight and his crisp striking allowed him to counter Guida’s wild barrages. It’s a shame that only a small fraction of those who caught the FOX broadcast are even aware of their Fight of the Night performance, but I’m sure the extra $65k makes up for it a little.

Cub Swanson headed into his bout with Ricardo Lamas with an abundance of confidence and some of the ugliest tattoos I’ve seen since “Katie’s Revenge”. After getting the better of Lamas in the striking department, Swanson nearly ended the fight with a deep guillotine in the first. He seemed indifferent as Lamas took him down and worked his way behind him, but that apathy was nowhere to be seen as he struggled to break free from an arm triangle. Lamas secured the tapout, and the Submission of the Night bonus, at 2:26 of R2.

Alex Caceres put on an absolute clinic against Cole Escovedo in his debut at 135 lbs. “Bruce Leroy” came after the former WEC champ from every possible angle with every strike in the book from the opening bell. On the ground Caceres was too much as well, coming close to sinking in a triangle and an armbar as he transitioned from one sub to the next. He picked up the unanimous decision—his first win in the Octagon–in his bantamweight debut.

Quick Notes:

Tough break for Mackens Semerzier. No one wants to get knocked out, but when it comes from an illegal (albeit accidental) headbutt it’s a lot harder to swallow. Hopefully he can get the “L” overturned.

It was judge Gene Lebell that scored Rosa-Lucas 28-28!

Darren Uyenoyama knows a thing or two about grappling. Kid Yamamoto is now 0-2 in the UFC with only one win in his past five fights, and once again JMMA looks to be on life support. I’m sure Kid will be kept on board for Zuffa’s upcoming visit to Japan. His slide started just after divorcing this. We’d be depressed too, Kid.

This was Clay Harvison’s second straight loss, and it came via knock out at the hands of a mid-pack fighter just 1:34 into the bout. It was a nice recovery for DaMarques Johnson, but I don’t think Clay’s up to snuff.

Full Results: (via: MMAWeekly.com)

Main Event (On Fox):
-Junior dos Santos def. Cain Velasquez by KO at 1:04, R1

Undercard (On Facebook and FoxSports.com):
-Benson Henderson def. Clay Guida by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
-Dustin Poirier def. Pablo Garza by submission (d’arce choke) at 1:32, R2
-Ricardo Lamas def. Cub Swanson by submission (arm triangle choke) at 2:16, R2
-DaMarques Johnson def. Clay Harvison by TKO at 1:34, R1
-Darren Uyenoyama def. Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-27)
-Robert Peralta def. Mackens Semerzier by TKO at 1:54, R3
-Alex Caceres def. Cole Escovedo by unanious decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
-Mike Pierce def. Paul Bradley by split decision (28-29, 30-37, 29-28)
-Aaron Rosa def. Matt Lucas by majority decision (28-28, 30-26, 30-26)

 

UFC on FOX: What We Learned from Cub Swanson vs. Ricardo Lamas

Highly anticipated featherweight bout Cub Swanson vs. Ricardo Lamas has just come to an end, with Lamas winning the bout via second-round arm triangle choke.Swanson started off the fight strong, pushing the pace and putting Lamas in some bad positions,…

Highly anticipated featherweight bout Cub Swanson vs. Ricardo Lamas has just come to an end, with Lamas winning the bout via second-round arm triangle choke.

Swanson started off the fight strong, pushing the pace and putting Lamas in some bad positions, but the successful first round made him a bit too confident, perhaps, and Lamas was able to capitalize on that.

There are still several fights left on this evening’s card, but right now this fight could be the front-runner for Fight of the Night.

 

What we’ll remember about this fight

Cub Swanson is a wild man.

Lamas walked away with victory, but Swanson put on the more memorable performance.

Swanson set a furious pace in the fight and stayed active no matter what position he was in.

Throughout the fight he through some unorthodox strikes, went for a standing guillotine, almost locked up an omoplata, and even tried to finish the fight with a scissor choke.

The fans love to see a fighter who is looking to finish the fight from whatever position he is in and Swanson fit that description tonight.

 

What we learned about Swanson

He’s got crazy skill, but lacks focus.

Swanson was able to clearly win the early goings of the fight, but the success went to his head and he got too confident.

In the second round, Lamas managed to plant Swanson on his back, after Swanson charged forward looking to land a combination.

Once on the ground, Lamas took Swanson’s back, but Swanson did not seem phased by it.

Swanson did improve his position and went for a guillotine, but in doing so left himself vulnerable to the arm triangle choke that ended the fight.

Swanson needed to be more focused on being defensive and less focused on being offensive.

Not showing respect for his opponents skills cost him this fight.

 

What we learned about Lamas

He’s a gamer, he’s got skill, and he may be relevant at the top of the featherweight division.

Lamas could very easily have been discouraged after being handled by Swanson in the first round of this fight, but instead he came out in the second round ready to bounce back.

He also showed skill both offensively and defensively by fighting out of some tight submissions and then submitting his opponent.

Swanson has only lost to high-level fighters in the past, so this win could mean that Lamas is ready to face the best at 145 lbs.

 

What’s next for Swanson

Swanson is still a relevant force in the featherweight division and can expect a well known fighter in his next fight.

Leonard Garcia or the loser of Mark Hominick vs. Chan Sung Jung are potential next opponents.

 

What’s next for Lamas

Conveniently enough, this fight is right beside another featherweight fight on tonight’s card: Dustin Poirier vs. Pablo Garza.

After tonight’s performance, I think Lamas deserves to be matched up with the winner of that fight.

 

Be sure to stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things UFC on FOX. B/R is your home for complete coverage of the November 12 fight card, from pre-fight predictions, to in-fight coverage, results and post-fight analysis, which you can find out at our event hub page.

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/AndrewBarr8.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com