LAS VEGAS – Cub Swanson thought he had a path to a title shot at 135 pounds, but if he is to ever fight for UFC gold before his career is done, it will be at featherweight.
In his previous outing, Swanson (28-13 MMA, 13-9 UFC) made the cut to bantamweight for the first time in 18 years. Swanson was looking for a fresh start and a path toward a title shot, as he was struggling to find momentum by trading wins and losses at featherweight.
While the veteran striker was able to make the weight with relative ease, he wasn’t at his best physically, which resulted in a TKO loss to Jonathan Martinez in October. Now, Swanson is returning to 145 pounds to face Hakeem Dawodu in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 51 at the UFC Apex.
But what about that experiment at 135 pounds? According to Swanson, it was a necessary experience, despite the result of the fight.
“It wasn’t that bad, the cut,” Swanson told reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “I made the weight easier than some of my ’45 cuts. But the preparation and the dieting for so long. I was having some back issues that we really couldn’t find the cause of, so that kind of didn’t allow me to do some of the strength and conditioning. So I was like, cool. I’ll just focus on the cardio. So that made me a little fragile, but when everybody was like, ‘That was a mistake, you shouldn’t have done that,’ it made me want to do it again.
“If I would have done it again, I would have did a way better job. I would have been a little bigger. I just refuse to miss weight, and I had never touched that before. Ultimately, when I thought about it, my body took a good three months, four months, to get back to normal. I was like, ‘You know what, at this stage of my career, it doesn’t make sense for me to do that.’ I’ll stick it out at ’45. I’ve had lots of success there, and I’ll add to the stats until I’m ready to walk away.”
Making the decision to drop down a weight class for his 22nd UFC bout wasn’t a tough decision for Swanson, but now he knows where he wants to be for the remainder of his career. He didn’t find the success he contemplated, but ultimately he has no regrets.
“I think I would have regretted it if I never tried it,” Swanson said. “The 135-pound division is so good right now. I was like, ‘I want some of that.’ I thought the title shot was still possible at 135 if I made a statement, had a couple of good wins. … Yeah, I got no regrets with it.
“That’s one of the greatest things about this sport: It’s not about your record. As long as you pick yourself up and you rebuild and look better than you did prior, they’re going to respect you. So, taking chances and taking risks is all this sport is about. Why wouldn’t I drop to ’35 and give it a shot?”
Whatever challenges await at featherweight, Swanson will be ready to take them all on. There will be no picking and choosing fights as one of the elders of the division at 39. Swanson will have the opportunity to bounce back into the win column against Dawodu, 32, in what he calls a “very fair matchup.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 51.
