Cub Swanson knows the end is near, but he isn’t ready to call it a career quite yet.
Swanson (29-14 MMA, 14-10 UFC) will make his 25th octagon appearance when he takes on Billy Quarantillo (18-6 MMA, 6-4 UFC) on Dec. 14 at UFC on ESPN 63 from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. Ahead of his fight against Quarantillo, 41-year-old Swanson revealed to MMA Junkie that he signed a new contract with the UFC.
“I just signed a new multifight deal, four fights,” Swanson told MMA Junkie Radio. “It’s fight by fight, but this would have been my last one, so I told them I didn’t intend on fighting out of my contract and going other places. I want to stay here. I think it’s fitting, and so we did a new deal. But it’s fight by fight.”
Swanson has split his past six appearances. He’s fought the who’s who at featherweight throughout his career and is happy to draw someone who isn’t a rising contender on a tear.
“I know that he’s tough, he’s gritty,” Swanson said of Quarantillo. “He wants to be in the exciting fights, and he’s been in a bunch of them, so I think that’s what he wants. He wanted a fight like me so he could go out there and have a big performance, something he could be proud of. That’s the kind of fighter I think he is.
“He’s getting up there in age. He’s been around for a little bit, so I like the matchup. I kept getting told stop fighting the youngsters who are on their way up, and I think the last two opponents have been good opponents. They’re guys who like to fight, but they’ve been around for a while. I think the fans appreciate it.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.
