A lot of fans got really excited when this fight was made, and Cub Swanson and Ross Pearson made sure they did not disappoint when they finally stood toe-to-toe on Friday night.
Swanson threw everything but the kitchen sink at Pearson and the Brit was eager to return fire, as both men put on a hell of a fight.
In the end, Swanson landed a fantastic combination that ended with a big left hand that sent Pearson crashing to the canvas. The punches that followed gave Swanson his second straight victory inside the Octagon.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight
That it was fun to watch.
Swanson was at the top of his game tonight and he made life difficult for Pearson with his relentless attacks throughout the entirety of the fight.
Pearson was game, and landed some solid punches and a few takedowns to keep the fight close, but eventually Swanson’s pace and endless barrage of strikes was a bit too much.
What We Learned About Cub Swanson
We knew Swanson was extremely exciting, but he may have outdone himself with tonight’s performance.
Swanson looked crisp on the feet and was incredibly active off of his back. Now that he seems to have finally put everything together, he is going to be a dangerous fighter, going forward at 145 lbs.
What We Learned About Ross Pearson
Despite a lackluster win over Junior Assuncao in his featherweight debut back at UFC 141, a lot of people thought that Pearson was going to be a force in his new division.
He may not have gotten the win tonight, but he put on a solid show and with his size and skill set Pearson still has a chance to be one of the premier fighters in the division.
What’s Next for Cub Swanson
It’s been a long time coming for Swanson to enter the featherweight title picture, and while he says he wants a number one contender fight, he’s going to have to win some more before that happens.
A rematch with Ricardo Lamas, who won earlier tonight and defeated Swanson at UFC on FOX 1 last November would be a fun fight, but there’s another option that would be even more attractive for the UFC brass to put together.
Even though he’s coming off a loss, Dustin Poirier is one of the best fighters in the UFC’s 145 lb division and would be a solid test for Swanson going forward.
What’s Next for Ross Pearson
After a tough loss to Swanson, I don’t see Pearson getting any favors from Sean Shelby for his next bout.
It’s always fun to see Pearson get into a technical standup war, so a fight on the UFC 152 card in Toronto against Canada’s own Mark Hominick would be a ton of fun for everyone involved.
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