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.
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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.
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