Tag: cub swanson

Cub Swanson Talks Emotional UFC Win, Fighter Injuries and More

In the world of mixed martial arts, the term “hard work” is often overlooked. In fact, fans and spectators become so attached to the wins and losses that they miss out on the bigger picture. The bigger picture includes the countless hours spe…

In the world of mixed martial arts, the term “hard work” is often overlooked.

In fact, fans and spectators become so attached to the wins and losses that they miss out on the bigger picture. The bigger picture includes the countless hours spent in the gym, on the road or time away from family.

UFC featherweight Cub Swanson is no exception to this rule.

After enduring his fair share of blood, sweat and tears, Swanson was on the verge of defeat. In a sense, he had been picked up, chewed up and spit out. But Swanson stood the fight and managed to face all adversity.

Now, at 28 years of age, Swanson is celebrating his first official win inside the UFC Octagon.

In a recent interview with Bleacher Report, Swanson discussed his emotional win along with a variety of other topics.

 

Garrett Derr: The last time I spoke with you, you were getting ready to take on George Roop. You scored a big TKO victory and got your first win in the UFC. What did this win mean to you?

Cub Swanson: That win was so emotional that it almost made me cry. But, don’t tell anyone I said that [laughing]. I had been through so much over the past year or so, so it felt great to get my first win inside the Octagon. It was getting hard to stay positive, so I needed that win and to win like the way I did, was just unreal.

 
GD: You’ll try to repeat that success when you meet Ross Pearson at UFC on FX 4. When examining his game, what areas do you think you’ll be able to exploit come fight night?

CS: I think my speed and awkwardness is hard to deal with for any fighter. In this fight, it’s not necessarily that he has weaknesses in his game, just that I’m going to be too hard for him to figure out.

I expect to finish him in the early rounds. I don’t know how yet but when I get in there, I’ll find a way. I’m that determined.

 
GD: There’s been a ton of injuries as of late. Do you feel this is a result of the UFC having insurance? If you look back in the day, guys would never pull out of fights because there wasn’t insurance. Your thoughts?

CS: Yes I do. I think fighters for a long time, were afraid to pull out of fights for many reasons. Like sitting on the shelf for a long time due to not having as many fight cards back then. Feeling like a wuss, disappointing the boss and fans, or just needing the money.

But, I think fighters realize that at this level, we need to be close to 100% by fight time because the fans expect our best performances every time. It’s better for the fighters long-term to fix their injuries as they come, rather than let them become worse over time. On the other hand, I think fighters are just learning how to train smarter. It’s still a baby of a sport.

GD: After you and Ross finish up, Gray Maynard and Clay Guida will take the Octagon for the main event. Who wins this fight and why?

CS: I’m not going to pick this fight, because I like both of these guys. Gray is someone that I really looked up to and learned a lot from early on in my career. Clay is someone I look up to now and a current teammate of mine. I have learned a lot from him in both my career and in my life. I respect both guys greatly.

 

GD: I know you played soccer growing up and into college. Do you feel you could have went pro in this sport?

CS: I know that I could have went pro playing soccer if I had better opportunities placed in front of me. I think many fighters could go pro in another sport. When it really boils down to it, it’s because we are the best athletes in the world. But, it’s the one thing that we all have in common that really makes us great, and that’s a work ethic.

 
GD: You train with Jackson and Winkeljohn. What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned from those guys?

CS: Well, it’s actually Winkeljohn who is responsible for me. One of the key things that he does in my training, is helping me find my explosive power.

Greg has helped me with the mental part of my game. Greg is also responsible for giving me confidence in both my abilities and my creativity. He’s always reminding me and telling me to fight like me, not a style I’m forcing.

 
GD: You’re a man who rocks the ink. What is your favorite tattoo and why?

CS: My palm trees because I’m waving the flag of my hometown which is the Palm Springs, California area. I want people to know that anyone, from anywhere, can make it as far as they want, as long if they are willing to do what it takes.

 
GD: What are your thoughts on the Manny Pacquiao fight? Worst decision in boxing history?

CS: Tim Bradley is actually a very close friend of mine. He’s also one of my teammates and an all-around great guy. He definitely doesn’t deserve all the heat that he’s taking. The bottom line is that he fought hard for 12 rounds. Not only that, but he did so with a broken foot. That’s all I have to say about that.

 
GD: Who would you like to thank?

CS: I want to thank all my training partners, Greg Jackson, Joel Diaz, Mike Winkeljohn, Mike Vallie, Izzy Style, TRU MMA, Virus Intl, Kelly Tekin, and Kirkfit. I’d also like to thank my family and of course, all my fans! They can all follow me at @CubSwanson on Twitter.

 

Garrett Derr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

For additional information, follow Garrett Derr on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

TUF Live Finale: 5 Fights for Charles Oliveira to Take Next

When Charles Oliveira burst onto the scene, he was the talk of the lightweight division after snagging back-to-back submission victories over tough opponents in Darren Elkins and Efrain Escudero.Oliveira was such a threat that he was the betting favori…

When Charles Oliveira burst onto the scene, he was the talk of the lightweight division after snagging back-to-back submission victories over tough opponents in Darren Elkins and Efrain Escudero.

Oliveira was such a threat that he was the betting favorite in a bout with grizzled contender Jim Miller.

Now that Oliveira has dropped down to his natural weight class, he has been able to better display his skills. “Do Bronx” has recorded submission finishes in each of his featherweight contests, which includes an impressive guillotine choke last night against Ultimate Fighter winner Jonathan Brookins.

With the well-rounded skills of Oliveira, he matches up well against most fighters in the division. Here is a look at five fights that Charles Oliveira should take next.

Begin Slideshow

Melvin Guillard to Be Strangled by Fabricio Camoes at UFC 148 and Other UFC Fight Booking Announcements


(Dammit! This was so much easier to escape in the video game!)  

On the heels of two straight submission via rear-naked choke losses courtesy of Joe Lauzon and Jim Miller, former “top contender” Melvin Guillard’s stock is probably at an all time low. The UFC, likely recognizing Melvin’s need to step up his ground game or GTFO, are not cutting him any slack, as they have paired him against 3rd degree (uh-oh) BJJ black belt (not good) under Royler Gracie (dear God) Fabricio Camoes. The worst part: Camoes is coming off a submission by rear-naked choke victory at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller.

Game. Set. Soon.

Look, we’ve got mad respect for Melvin Guillard; how can you not love someone whose idea of avoiding the takedown is repeatedly throwing flying knees? But this does not look good for “The Young Assassin,” who may very well get the boot if he is submitted for the seventh time in his UFC career come July 7th. Come on Zuffa, you can’t even give him some low-level nobody to squash first?

Matter of fact, it looks to us like the UFC is trying to punish each and every member of The Blackzilians for Anthony Johnson’s colossal mistake. Have the Zuffa attorneys not informed DW and Joe Silva that judging a certain group of people based on one isolated incident is considered profiling, and could lead to a huge backlash from said group? If we could think of any examples from American history, say from around the 1960’s, that could possibly help prove this point, we would. Unfortunately, no such example exists. Perhaps we’re just lucky.

Join us after the jump for a ton of fight booking news…


(Dammit! This was so much easier to escape in the video game!)  

On the heels of two straight submission via rear-naked choke losses courtesy of Joe Lauzon and Jim Miller, former “top contender” Melvin Guillard’s stock is probably at an all time low. The UFC, likely recognizing Melvin’s need to step up his ground game or GTFO, are not cutting him any slack, as they have paired him against 3rd degree (uh-oh) BJJ black belt (not good) under Royler Gracie (dear God) Fabricio Camoes. The worst part: Camoes is coming off a submission by rear-naked choke victory at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller.

Game. Set. Soon.

Look, we’ve got mad respect for Melvin Guillard; how can you not love someone whose idea of avoiding the takedown is repeatedly throwing flying knees? But this does not look good for “The Young Assassin,” who may very well get the boot if he is submitted for the seventh time in his UFC career come July 7th. Come on Zuffa, you can’t even give him some low-level nobody to squash first?

Matter of fact, it looks to us like the UFC is trying to punish each and every member of The Blackzilians for Anthony Johnson’s colossal mistake. Have the Zuffa attorneys not informed DW and Joe Silva that judging a certain group of people based on one isolated incident is considered profiling, and could lead to a huge backlash from said group? If we could think of any examples from American history, say from around the 1960′s, that could possibly help prove this point, we would. Unfortunately, no such example exists. Perhaps we’re just lucky.

Speaking of fighters who will find themselves in the unemployment line with another loss, it looks like a “loser leaves town” match has been booked between Leonard Garcia and Matt Grice, this one at UFC on FX 3. Currently 1-4 in under the Zuffa banner, Matt “The Real One” Grice has suffered submission defeats to Shannon Gugerty and Terry Etim and TKO losses to Matt Veach and Ricardo Lamas. Garcia, on the other hand, is coming off back to back karmic defeats in rematch bouts against Chan Sung Jung and Nam Phan. If Garcia were to somehow lose this one, we imagine he’d stand a better chance of sticking around than Grice, but let’s just say that a loss by either = the soup kitchen and watch the leather fly.

Coming off a successful UFC debut in which he beat down Kamal Shalorus en route to a third round rear-naked choke victory, undefeated prospect Khabib Nurmagomedov will take a huge step up in competition when he faces Gleison Tibau at UFC 148. We don’t know exactly where we’d place Tibau on our “Good, Bad, and Ugly” scale of dropping weight; ever since cutting down from welterweight following UFC 65, he has managed to make 155 lbs on most of his attempts, yet shows up looking like MuscleBob BuffPants come fight night. I guess we’d categorize him as “Freakish.” In either case, Tibau’s put together a hell of a run at lightweight, going 4-1 in his last 5 and most recently snagging a close decision victory over Rafael Dos Anjos.

In UFC on FX 4 news, TUF 9 winner Ross Pearson and WEC veteran Cub Swanson are set to lock horns in a featherweight contest. After going 5-2 as a lightweight, Pearson recently made the trip down to 145 at UFC 141 and proceeded to chase Junior Assuncao around the octagon like he was Kalib Starnes en route to a unanimous decision victory. In the aftermath of Pearson’s “Quarrian” effort, Assuncao was released by Zuffa, and still isn’t sure why. Shame.

Meanwhile, the bearer of perhaps the worst tattoos in all of MMA rebounded from a UFC debut loss to Ricardo Lamas at the inaugural UFC on Fox event with a brutal, mouthpiece ejecting TKO of George Roop at UFC on FOX 2. Swanson has gone win-loss in his last seven contests, and holds notable victories over Mackens Semerzier and that’s it. Put your money on the Brit, ladies and gentlemen.

UFC on FX 4 goes down from the the Revel Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey (*shudder*) on June 22nd.

Who ya got?

-J. Jones

MMA Video/Gif Tribute: The Flying Mouthpiece

Over the past few weeks, we’ve taken a look at several unique knockouts in the world of mixed martial arts, and as Nick Diaz will tell you, now that we’re hooked, there’s no turning back. So today, we pay tribute to yet another aspect of the fight game, specifically, one that only happens on the rarest of occasions, like Halley’s Comet or Bob Sapp showing up to win. We’re talking, of course, about the moment in combat sports when a fighter delivers a shot with such force that it is able to dislodge the airtight mouthpiece from the opponent’s…mouth. It’s embarrassing, often causes a stop in the action, and doesn’t always end in a knockout, but it’s also hilarious, and that’s what we’re all about anyway. So with that in mind, here are some of the finest instances of the flying mouthpiece in MMA.

Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz – UFC 106
Forrest kicks out Tito's mouthpiece [UFC 106]

Rob McCullough vs. Olaf Alfonso – WEC 19

Over the past few weeks, we’ve taken a look at several unique knockouts in the world of mixed martial arts, and as Nick Diaz will tell you, now that we’re hooked, there’s no turning back. So today, we pay tribute to yet another aspect of the fight game, specifically, one that only happens on the rarest of occasions, like Halley’s Comet or Bob Sapp showing up to win. We’re talking, of course, about the moment in combat sports when a fighter delivers a shot with such force that it is able to dislodge the airtight mouthpiece from the opponent’s…mouth. It’s embarrassing, often causes a stop in the action, and doesn’t always end in a knockout, but it’s also hilarious, and that’s what we’re all about anyway. So with that in mind, here are some of the finest instances of the flying mouthpiece in MMA.

Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz – UFC 106
Forrest kicks out Tito's mouthpiece [UFC 106]

Rob McCullough vs. Olaf Alfonso – WEC 19

Ricardo Lamas vs. Bendy Casimir – WEC 47 

Scott Jorgensen vs. Brad Pickett – WEC 50

Video: UFC 143 Danavlog #1

By now, you know the deal when it comes to Dana White’s videoblogs, and today’s “episode” is no different. Taking a behind-the-scenes look at the aftermath of the UFC’s second Fox event, the UFC 143 videoblog contains the familiar mix of upper and downer moments, with an emphasis on the downer. Especially tough to watch is Joey Beltran’s realization that his Zuffa career may have reached a temporary standstill in the wake of his first round KO loss to Lavar Johnson. Keep your chin up, “Mexicutioner.”

Let’s get right to the highlights.

(0:45) – Jon Jones, seen here for the last time before disappearing into a thicket of notes from which he has yet to emerge.

(1:22) – God damn it, will someone give Beltran a hug and tell him that everything is going to be alright?

(1:40) – Eric Wisely, still in awe of the calf-slicer Charles Oliveira was able to pull on him. The pain was apparently so incredible that Wisely has trouble explaining to the backstage physician where exactly the strain was.

(2:48) – Jon Jones explains how Cub Swanson is one of the “nastiest dudes” on Team Jackson. He makes a good point.

By now, you know the deal when it comes to Dana White’s videoblogs, and today’s “episode” is no different. Taking a behind-the-scenes look at the aftermath of the UFC’s second Fox event, the UFC 143 videoblog contains the familiar mix of upper and downer moments, with an emphasis on the downer. Especially tough to watch is Joey Beltran’s realization that his Zuffa career may have reached a temporary standstill in the wake of his first round KO loss to Lavar Johnson. Keep your chin up, “Mexicutioner.”

Let’s get right to the highlights.

(0:45) – Jon Jones, seen here for the last time before disappearing into a thicket of notes from which he has yet to emerge.

(1:22) – God damn it, will someone give Beltran a hug and tell him that everything is going to be alright?

(1:40) – Eric Wisely, still in awe of the calf-slicer Charles Oliveira was able to pull on him. The pain was apparently so incredible that Wisely has trouble explaining to the backstage physician where exactly the strain was.

(2:48) – Jon Jones explains how Cub Swanson is one of the “nastiest dudes” on Team Jackson. He makes a good point.

(3:30) – “Shit man, he take some knees, huh?” – John Olav Einemo, who seems a little more pissed about the clusterfuck of a plane ride he had to take from Norway in retrospect. He still manages to congratulate Mike Russow on his win, however. Stay classy, J.O.E.

(4:45) – Another look at the gash under Nick Lentz’s left eye that “cut” *snicker* his bout with Evan Dunham short.

(5:10) – Does anyone know who the older gentleman responsible for hyping up Michael Bisping is? He could give Flavor Flav a run for his money is all we’re saying.

(5:50) – The agony of defeat, paired here with the thrill of victory. And it’s honestly hard to tell which one is which.

(6:08) – Example #327 of why you never let it go to the judges. It’s like jumping off an air hockey table; it only opens the door for bitter disappointment.

(6:27) – After mirroring the above sentiment, Bisping says that Chael Sonnen “punches like a woman,” before congratulating him on the win. Oh, the ironing.

(6:50) – Bisping, now claiming that Sonnen agreed “The Count” may have taken the first two rounds of their middleweight clash. Man, Bisping just doesn’t have it in him to give a straight compliment to someone, does he? Though we agree, 30-27 was bullshit.

(8:19) – We’d be more grossed out by Phil Davis‘ shin wound if we hadn’t recently come across this.

(9:07) – Perhaps it’s due to my limited knowledge of the Hip hop genre, but it took me like 10 rewinds to figure out that the gentlemen asking DW for an autograph wasn’t T.I. It isn’t, right?

-J. Jones

GIF Party: ‘UFC on FOX 2: Evans vs. Davis’ edition


Swanson vs. Roop provided an early candidate for Side-Punchface of the Year. Props: UFC.com

Remember how last night, you invited your non-MMA fan friends over to introduce them to our sport? You spent the past week talking about how Chael Sonnen is one of the best trash talkers in professional sports, and how technical and talented these fighters were. You figured that after three fights that were guaranteed to be exceptional, your friends would be won over to MMA fandom. Then you’d continue to drink and be merry all night, and we’d all meet up here today for our traditional post-UFC event GIF party where we all high five over how awesome the fights were.

Well, it didn’t quite work out that way. Instead, you found yourself doing damage control as you watched three fights worth of sloppy brawling, wall and stall and Chael Sonnen’s blatant swaggerjacking of homage to “Superstar” Billy Graham. You tried to convince them that the fights are usually nothing like this, and that these guys gassing out and the end of the first round are world class athletes. Eventually, one of your friends said “I bet Pacquiao would destroy ANY of these guys” as the rest of your friends grabbed their coats and said they’d call you next time they wanted to watch the fights.

Okay, so last night sucked. But we’ve been planning this party all week, and we’ll be damned if we cancel it at this point. So grab an alcoholic beverage, put on your gaudiest Affliction shirt and join us for our traditional post-UFC event GIF Party.

As always, praise be to Zombie Prophet at IronForgesIron.com for the GIFS.


Swanson vs. Roop provided an early candidate for Side-Punchface of the Year. Props: UFC.com

Remember how last night, you invited your non-MMA fan friends over to introduce them to our sport? You spent the past week talking about how Chael Sonnen is one of the best trash talkers in professional sports, and how technical and talented these fighters were. You figured that after three fights that were guaranteed to be exceptional, your friends would be won over to MMA fandom. Then you’d continue to drink and be merry all night, and we’d all meet up here today for our traditional post-UFC event GIF party where we all high five over how awesome the fights were. 

Well, it didn’t quite work out that way. Instead, you found yourself doing damage control as you watched three fights worth of sloppy brawling, wall and stall and Chael Sonnen’s blatant swaggerjacking of homage to “Superstar” Billy Graham. You tried to convince them that the fights are usually nothing like this, and that these fighters gassing out and the end of the first round are world class athletes. Eventually, one of your friends said “I bet Pacquiao would destroy ANY of these guys” as the rest of your friends grabbed their coats and promised they’d call you next time they wanted to watch the fights.

Okay, so last night sucked. But we’ve been planning this party all week, and we’ll be damned if we cancel it at this point. So grab an alcoholic beverage, put on your gaudiest Affliction shirt and join us for our traditional post-UFC event GIF Party.

As always, praise be to Zombie Prophet at IronForgesIron.com for the GIFS.  

Joey Beltran vs. Lavar Johnson

Michael Johnson vs. Shane Roller

Charles Oliveira vs. Eric Wisely