Chan Sung-Jung enters his UFC 163 title bout with Jose Aldo as a four-to-one underdog, but the Korean has plenty of reasons to believe he can pull off an upset against the mini-powerhouse in Brazil (Bloody Elbow). Aldo holds the advantage in the standi…
Chan Sung-Jung enters his UFC 163 title bout with Jose Aldo as a four-to-one underdog, but the Korean has plenty of reasons to believe he can pull off an upset against the mini-powerhouse in Brazil (Bloody Elbow).
Aldo holds the advantage in the standing exchanges as well as a champion’s advantage on the scorecards, but when it comes to all other aspects, Jung can rival the champion.
There is almost no area where either fighter is truly weak. Instead an analysis only points to who is slightly stronger than the other.
Cub Swanson is a man on a mission.After running the table in 2012 and picking up three consecutive victories, the resurgent featherweight entered 2013 looking to shift his drive to a title shot into high gear. Swanson was successful on the first step o…
After running the table in 2012 and picking up three consecutive victories, the resurgent featherweight entered 2013 looking to shift his drive to a title shot into high gear. Swanson was successful on the first step of his quest to become a contender in the new year when he defeated Dustin Poirier in the co-main event of UFC on Fuel TV 7 in London, England.
The 29-year-old Palm Springs native was originally slated to face Dennis Siver in the bout, but the German-born striker was forced to withdraw due to injury. With Siver on the sidelines, the talented young American Top Team product stepped up to the plate, and after a three-round back-and-forth, Swanson emerged victorious on the judge’s score cards.
The victory in England pushed Swanson further into the crowded pack of contenders in the 145-pound division, and he will be looking to take another step toward title contention when he steps back into action at UFC 162.
In a fitting turn of fate, the Jackson’s MMA-trained fighter will get the fight he was preparing for back in February as “Killer Cub” will square off with Siver on July 3.
With the divisional race heating up, Swanson understands how much is on the line at UFC 162, and he intends to bring the fight directly to Siver.
“I always love this point,” Swanson told Bleacher Report. “I’m in shape and all my coaches agree on the game plan and my motivation for the fight. I’m very comfortable. I know he’s tough as hell but I’m going to try to knock his teeth in.”
“I know he’s going to be strong. He’s a muscular guy and I know he’s going to try to take me down. He’s going to try to mix it up and he has some fancy stuff, but I’ve been working everywhere. I’m trying to fall back in love with my jiu-jitsu. I’ve been getting the gi back on and really getting back into that aspect of my game. My takedown defense is rock-solid right now. My striking is always evolving and I’m trying to always be better. I’m never satisfied with where I’m at and I work hard to keep my skills moving forward.”
The bout between Swanson and Siver comes at a crucial and chaotic time for the featherweight division. While champion Jose Aldo was originally slated to face surging lightweight contender-turned-145-pound-title challenger Anthony Pettis, an injury to “Showtime” forced the Duke Roufus-trained fighter out of the bout.
With Pettis out, the UFC tapped Chan Sung Jung to step in against the Brazilian phenom. The “Korean Zombie” was slated to face Ricardo Lamas at UFC 162, but the shake-up ultimately forced him off the card entirely and further clouded the title picture in the 145-pound division.
“With Pettis‘ last win and beating Cowboy—that’s impressive,” Swanson answered when asked about the divisional shake-up. “Cowboy is my teammate, and I believe he had an off night, but that win was still impressive. He’s fought top guys and I really can’t say anything about him. Yeah, it sucks that he drops down and gets a title shot right away, but I can see how it happened. But the Korean Zombie I just don’t see it. I don’t think the level of competition he’s faced has been on the level of what [Ricardo] Lamas or I have faced. It’s kind of baffling. I just don’t think he deserves it.”
“The division is definitely crazy right now and I’m ready to take whatever fight is going to get me to the top. I’m confident and whatever fight they are going to give me I’m ready for. Right now, that fight is against Siver. He’s a tough dude and we are both right there in the rankings at No. 5 and No. 6. That’s the fight I’m concentrating on right now and I’m ready to go.”
While his days competing in the WEC brought mixed results, Swanson has been a wrecking ball under the UFC banner. The proud Southern Californian has racked up four consecutive victories with three coming via devastating finish. His performances inside the Octagon have lead to an elevated profile in the sport, and because of his rise to contention, his inspiring backstory has come to light.
Before Swanson was handling business inside the cage, he battled through a rough period in his life. A series of bad decisions landed the heavy-handed featherweight in the juvenile detention program, and it was a negative experience he’s turned into a positive by mentoring local youths at the same facility he was incarcerated in.
From Bleacher Report’s own The Fighting Life to Fuel TV’s The Ultimate Insider, Swanson’s story has now been shared with a large audience. And while the sudden attention has created some friction in his life, Swanson can see the inspiration his story has brought to those who need it the most.
“I’ve always thought everything about me was kind of normal,” Swanson said. “I know everybody goes through hard things in their lives, and I can’t say I’ve had things super-hard because I know there are a lot of people who have gone through much worse. But I’ve definitely had an interesting life. The only reason I’m really enjoying my story getting out there is because I’ve seen how inspiring it has been for kids in my area that are getting into trouble and don’t really feel like they can become something.
“It’s been hard for my family as well because these stories have shed light on some things that have never really been talked about. It’s been a little hard for me sometimes but I think it’s worth it. For kids who come from where I come from or are in similar situations like I had growing up, it is proof that you can overcome things. You play the cards you are dealt. You can’t choose who your family is going to be or the situation you are born into, but you can choose who you are going to be and what you turn out to be.”
“It’s just like a loss in a fight. You hit a rough patch and it doesn’t define who you are. You make a mistake in life and that doesn’t mean you are a bad person. You just learn from it and try to do better. If you don’t, that shows who you are. If you are not prepared to always be better, that not something to be proud of. If you learn and always try to be better, then you can’t be mad about that.”
With past struggles behind him, Swanson now focuses on the next obstacle on his path to a title shot. He knows the dangers Siver brings to the cage, but the crafty veteran has a versatile arsenal of his own. Both fighters have the ability to end things in brutal fashion, and Swanson is looking forward to the scrap.
“I have to watch out for him getting comfortable and letting him play his game,” Swanson added. “But I’m not going to do that because that is what I do. I play my game. I focus on me. I know what to look out for from him, but I’m going to fight my fight because he’s stepping into my cage. That is the bottom line. I’m going to try to knock his teeth in.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
In mixed martial arts, fighters ascend and fall from the divisional ladder on a regular basis. For every Junior dos Santos who has gotten to the top of the mountain, there are 15 Rick Storys or Nate Marquardts who could never quite get there.The title …
In mixed martial arts, fighters ascend and fall from the divisional ladder on a regular basis. For every Junior dos Santos who has gotten to the top of the mountain, there are 15 Rick Storys or Nate Marquardts who could never quite get there.
The title scene during the current UFC climate is exciting in several divisions, as new contenders are poised to break through all over the place.
Here is a look at 15 UFC fighters who are on the brink of title contention.
Author’s Notes:
This slideshow is designed to shine light on fighters who are on the cusp of earning title shots and becoming surefire title contenders. Fighters who have previously competed for a UFC championship are not eligible to be in this list.
– Frankie Edgar vs. Charles Oliveira: Following his unsuccessful title challenge against Jose Aldo — which gave Edgar his third decision loss in a row — “The Answer” returns to the featherweight division to face dangerous grappler Charles Oliveira. Though Oliveira hasn’t competed since his knockout loss to Cub Swanson at UFC 152, his two previous fights resulted in submission victories over Jonathan Brookins and Eric Wisely. It’s a logical rebound fight for Edgar, and a huge opportunity for Oliveira.
– Cub Swanson vs. Dennis Siver: Speaking of Swanson, the Jackson’s MMA product is red-hot lately, with four straight victories in the UFC (three by KO/TKO). Fresh off his recent decision win over Dustin Poirier, Swanson will try to add to his streak against the hard-striking Dennis Siver, who is 2-0 since dropping to featherweight, with decision wins over Diego Nunes and Nam Phan.
– Frankie Edgar vs. Charles Oliveira: Following his unsuccessful title challenge against Jose Aldo — which gave Edgar his third decision loss in a row — “The Answer” returns to the featherweight division to face dangerous grappler Charles Oliveira. Though Oliveira hasn’t competed since his knockout loss to Cub Swanson at UFC 152, his two previous fights resulted in submission victories over Jonathan Brookins and Eric Wisely. It’s a logical rebound fight for Edgar, and a huge opportunity for Oliveira.
– Cub Swanson vs. Dennis Siver: Speaking of Swanson, the Jackson’s MMA product is red-hot lately, with four straight victories in the UFC (three by KO/TKO). Fresh off his recent decision win over Dustin Poirier, Swanson will try to add to his streak against the hard-striking Dennis Siver, who is 2-0 since dropping to featherweight, with decision wins over Diego Nunes and Nam Phan.
– Meanwhile in the middleweight division, Chris Leben will attempt to snap his two-fight losing streak against 8-1 prospect Andrew Craig, who most recently lost a decision to Ronny Markes at UFC on FX 7.
– With his four-fight win streak snapped by Mike Pierce in December, welterweight Seth Baczynski will welcome Strikeforce vet Brian Melancon into the Octagon.
Former UFC champion Frankie Edgar and current featherweight contender Cub Swanson will both return to action at UFC 162 on July 6 but against different opponents. Edgar and Swanson have flirted with the idea of fighting for the past month and were actu…
Former UFC champion Frankie Edgar and current featherweight contender Cub Swanson will both return to action at UFC 162 on July 6 but against different opponents.
Edgar and Swanson have flirted with the idea of fighting for the past month and were actually offered the headline spot at The Ultimate Fighter 17 finale show in April on short notice.
Unfortunately at the time, Swanson was still healing from his last fight in February against Dustin Poirier and was unable to take the fight against Edgar in mid-April.
Now both fighters will return to action at UFC 162. Edgar will face Brazilian Charles Oliveira while Swanson will take on German fighter Dennis Siver.
Edgar moved to the featherweight division earlier this year for a shot at champion Jose Aldo at the main event of UFC 156. The former lightweight titleholder lost a unanimous decision to Aldo but now returns to the cage hoping to work his way back into contention.
At only 23 years of age, Oliveira remains a bright prospect in the UFC’s 145-pound weight class, but he still needs to find his footing after going 2-3-1 in his last five fights.
Oliveira started his UFC career as a lightweight, but he decided to make the drop to featherweight three fights ago and quickly moved to 2-0 in his first two fights. The streak ended when he suffered a knockout to Cub Swanson at UFC 152, which also saw Oliveira miss weight the day before.
Now he has to try to regain traction against a tough opponent in Edgar when they meet at UFC 162 in July.
As for Cub Swanson, he will try to take one more step toward a shot at the featherweight belt when he faces Dennis Siver on the same card. Swanson and Siver were actually matched up in February at a UFC on Fuel TV card in England, but the German-born striker was forced out of the show due to injury.
Prior to the injury, Siver had picked up two wins in a row since dropping down to featherweight after 13 fights in the UFC lightweight division.
The winner of Swanson vs. Siver would be in an enviable position as a top contender in the UFC featherweight title picture along with Ricardo Lamas and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung, who meet on the same card at UFC 162.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report.
Following the arrival of former top lightweight contenders Frankie Edgar and Clay Guida, the UFC featherweight division has began to transform.It has turned one of the promotion’s thinnest weight classes into a budding dynamo.Divisional champion Jose A…
Following the arrival of former top lightweight contenders Frankie Edgar and Clay Guida, the UFC featherweight division has began to transform.
It has turned one of the promotion’s thinnest weight classes into a budding dynamo.
Divisional champion Jose Aldo will surely have his hands full in 2013, but it’s the recently rumored bout between Edgar and veteran Cub Swanson that has sparked much interest.
The fight has yet to be scheduled, but here’s how the head-to-toe breakdown plays out. Enjoy.
