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UFC on Fox 4: What Fighter Has the Most to Lose?

With all the attention placed upon the headliners at the UFC on Fox 4 event, it’s easy to forget this card marks the return of former welterweight title contender Mike Swick.The AKA product was originally scheduled to return in Jan. of last year but th…

With all the attention placed upon the headliners at the UFC on Fox 4 event, it’s easy to forget this card marks the return of former welterweight title contender Mike Swick.

The AKA product was originally scheduled to return in Jan. of last year but the bout fell apart due to an injury with David Mitchell and Swick’s stomach illness returning. Swick has battled through a number of injuries and medical complications to step back into the Octagon for the first time since Feb. of 2010.

Prior to his extended leave, Swick saw his place in the welterweight rankings falter after dropping two straight bouts. The first was a tough fight against Dan Hardy and the second loss saw Swick be choked out by Paulo Thiago.

Swick joined the UFC’s ranks after competing on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter where Swick would fail to make it to the finals but impressed on the show’s finale by dropping Alex Schoenauer with a single punch. En route to building an impressive 14-2 record prior to the losses, Swick displayed amazingly quick hand speed, thus earning the nickname “Quick.”

He had built a run of impressive victories before dropping an unanimous decision to Yushin Okami at UFC 69, which forced Swick to drop to 170 pounds afterward. Again Swick built an impressive streak of wins until being dropped numerous times in his contest with Hardy to lose an unanimous decision.

The loss to Thiago in particular showed that something seemed a little off about Swick. He didn’t seem like himself and was summarily submitted by the Brazilian.

Now Swick finds himself facing off against DaMarques Johnson on the main card of the UFC on Fox 4 event. The bout was originally slated to be on the preliminary card but was bumped up to the main card after a bout between Travis Browne and Ben Rothwell was scrapped.

It may be a blessing in disguise or a curse for Swick as he will lead off the main card on Fox. It’s his first fight in over two years and it may have been better for him to compete on the prelims. We all know how the bright lights of the UFC can get to anyone, and Swick’s adrenaline will no doubt be flowing as he steps back into the Octagon.

Regardless of where Swick’s fight is on the card, he is without a doubt the fighter with the most of lose. He was once considered a top five talent at welterweight, and a loss to Johnson would be his third loss in a row. Losing three in a row and losing to a fighter of Johnson’s caliber would undoubtedly bury Swick in the seemingly crowded welterweight division.

Johnson has always been a “middle of the road” type of fighter, the type that Swick should have no problems with. Yet Swick will likely be a little rusty in his first fight back, which could hinder his performance against a durable fighter like Johnson.

Swick finds himself in an unfavourable place as a loss puts him back at the drawing board in his career while anything less than an impressive showing against Johnson does little to advance Swick back into the crowded realm of contenders at 170 pounds.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on FOX 4 Video Interview: Mike Swick Discusses Injuries and UFC Return

Bleacher Report caught up with UFC welterweight contender Mike Swick at the UFC on FOX 4 open workouts in Los Angeles. Mike Swick was once the rising stars of the UFC’s middleweight division. It was only after cutting down to welterweight that he …

Bleacher Report caught up with UFC welterweight contender Mike Swick at the UFC on FOX 4 open workouts in Los Angeles.

Mike Swick was once the rising stars of the UFC’s middleweight division. It was only after cutting down to welterweight that he started having medical issues.

Swick discussed his road back to the Octagon and the trials and tribulations that he faced on his way back.

Be sure to check back for more UFC on FOX 4 coverage from Bleacher Report.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on Fox 4: Can Mike Swick Return to Form After More Than 2 Years?

The last time Mike Swick won a fight in the UFC Octagon, The Hangover had just dropped in theatres. Not the sequel with the Tyson tattoo and all the same jokes on repeat—the original Las Vegas classic, the one that led UFC star Joe Stevenson to m…

The last time Mike Swick won a fight in the UFC Octagon, The Hangover had just dropped in theatres. Not the sequel with the Tyson tattoo and all the same jokes on repeat—the original Las Vegas classic, the one that led UFC star Joe Stevenson to mistake my colleague Jeremy Botter for Zach Galifianakis at a party poolside at the Mandalay Bay.

Gaga had just hit big with “Poker Face”. Peyton Manning still had an intact neck. Charlie Sheen was in the top-rated sitcom in the world and kept his craziness to himself.

What am I trying to say?

It was a long time ago.

Now, more than two-and-a-half years since his last fight in the cage, Swick is attempting an improbable comeback, returning to action on Fox against Demarques Johnson. Can it be done?

We only say no because it has never happened before.

Of course comebacks aren’t unheard of. Mike Vick returned from prison and picked up right where he left off on the gridiron. Ted Williams did a stint in World War II and returned to the American League as the same deadly hitter he’d been when he left.

Closer to home, or at least in the realm of combat sports, Muhammad Ali was sidelined for three years after a conviction for draft evasion and returned to reclaim his heavyweight crown.

MMA legends, however, haven’t found it quite so easy. Brock Lesnar was never the same after a bout with diverticulitis. Pancrase founder Masakatsu Funaki returned to the ring after a retirement of almost seven years. His contemporary Bas Rutten did the same. Neither looked like the same fighter he had been.

To be fair, those were both old men, past their expiration date, desperately seeking one final run under the bright lights. Swick is different. He was cut down in his prime, first by an esophageal spasm that made it impossible for him to train.

When he finally seemed to have things under control, a devastating ACL injury sidelined him once again. Now it’s been so long that the feel of competition, the pressure of standing across the cage from another foaming at the mouth fighter, are nothing but distant memories.

Most similar to Swick, undoubtedly much to his chagrin, is former light heavyweight kingpin Frank Shamrock. Shamrock retired from the sport, nursing bad knees and a worse pay check. When he returned to the cage in Strikeforce after spending most of the previous five years on the sideline watching the sport he’d helped build explode in popularity, he wasn’t the same fighter.

Like Swick, Shamrock was still in his early 30s. But in a case like this, age doesn’t seem to matter. You lose something in the years between competition. Whatever it is that drives a fighter forward, makes him willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to succeed, doesn’t make the return. Physically the body may heal. But mentally it is never the same.

“The major concern is that although motor skills are very resistant to forgetting, the performance at such levels is a very, very fragile coordination between mind, body and emotion,” Howard Zelaznik, a professor of health and kinesiology at Purdue University told the LA Times.

If Swick can make it back to the top of his game, he presents a new challenge for all the main players in the welterweight class. He’s been gone so long that there has been a changing of the guard at the top of the division.

“I’m excited about the division,” Swick told Bleacher Report’s Duane Finley. “It’s a jam-packed division with a lot of talent and I can’t wait to get back in there and mix it up.”

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Mike Swick Ready to Get His Career Back at UFC on Fox 4

With his long-awaited return to the Octagon rapidly approaching, Mike Swick is ready to get back to work. After being out of action for 30 months, the AKA-trained fighter is excited to put the past behind him and return to doing damage in the UFC welte…

To say his time away has been frustrated would be an understatement. On several occasions, Swick has been scheduled to fight only to have his body rebel, ultimately forcing him back to the sidelines.

Following his bout with Paulo Thiago in 2010, a stomach ailment drastically hindered his ability to keep up the daunting training schedule required of a mixed martial artist at the highest level.

It took time for Swick to get the issue to a tolerable level and under control, but just when he appeared to be on the comeback trail, a major knee injury arose which forced him to withdraw from his bout with Erick Silva at UFC 134.

Despite the setbacks, Swick’s passion for competition never wavered. He fought onward through a grueling rehab in the hopes that some day he would be able to get back to doing what he loves. Fortunately for him, that opportunity is just around the corner, and he’s very much looking forward to getting back to trading leather on the sport’s biggest stage.

“I’m excited about returning,” Swick told Bleacher Report. “I’ve been out for 30 months but I’m healthy and super ready to get back in there.

“During my time away I’ve had a lot of time to focus on other things. I’m building a gym in Thailand, which has always been a dream of mine. I also have a screen printing business in San Jose. Those things are great but when it came to prepare I hit AKA as I always do and got to work.”

For his return, Swick faces fellow TUF alum DeMarques Johnson. Both fighters are looking to get back on track, as Swick is on a two-fight skid and Johnson took a submission loss in his last outing. In an increasingly competitive welterweight division, there is little room for error, which makes their bout at UFC on Fox 4 all the more important.

“I think it’s a great matchup,” Swick said. “I think he’s an exciting fighter who brings it. I think it’s going to be great. In this fight, fans are going to see just how bad I want to get my career back.

“He has strong punches and a good ground game. I have to be aware when I’m trading punches with him and make sure not to get caught with too many as we’re exchanging. I also have to be cautious about getting tangled up with him on the ground. He has long legs and I can’t let him play his game there.

While the picture at 170 pounds hardly resembles the weight class Swick last competed in, he’s fired up for the opportunity to test his skills against the division’s best.

“I’m excited about the division. It’s a jam-packed division with a lot of talent and I can’t wait to get back in there and mix it up.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dust Off the Cobwebs: Mike Swick to Return to Action (Hopefully) at UFC on FOX 4 in August

(Needing to decided upon his future in the UFC, Swick galloped into a wooded glen, and after punch-dancing out his rage and suffering an extremely long and very painful fall, he realized what had to be done.)

To quote David After Dentist, “Is this real life?”

Outdated reference? Sure, but to give you some perspective, the last time anyone saw UFC welterweight Mike Swick in action, that little SOB’s anesthesia adventure was the biggest Youtube sensation going. It has really been that long.

But it seems the man known as “Quick” will finally step back into the octagon before his mid-life crisis hits him, as he has been scheduled to take on TUF 9 alum Damarques “Darkness” Johnson at UFC on FOX 4, which goes down at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on August 4th.

To quote David After Dentist, “Is this real life?”

If you recall, Swick has been out of action for over two years, dealing with more injuries and diseases than you could shake a stick at. We last saw him at UFC 109, where, after eating a counter left in the second round of his fight with Paulo Thiago, he was promptly Brabo-choked unconscious. The following September, Swick was misdiagnosed with a stomach disease which limited his diet to such a degree that he was unable to pack on any weight for his anticipated reinstatement in the middleweight division. His condition was later determined to be an esophageal spasm, and after undergoing treatment, Swick was expected to return in early 2011.

However, Swick was booked for his original return (now back at welterweight) against David Mitchell at UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 in January of 2011. Mitchell was forced to pull out from the bout with a back injury, and when given the option of taking a last minute replacement, Swick opted to take more time off to ensure that his condition fully healed. Swick’s run of Paul Taylor-esque bad luck continued just weeks before his scheduled contest with Erick Silva at UFC 134, as he suffered a knee injury in training that kept him on the shelf for the rest of 2011.

Johnson, on the other hand, has seen his own set of ups and downs as of late, going win-loss in his last six UFC appearances. Most recently, Johnson fell victim to a brilliant second round armbar at the hands of John Maguire at UFC on FUEL 2 in April. The loss followed a brutal first round knockout of Clay Harvison at the inaugural UFC on FOX card, but Johnson will more than likely be looking to take the fight to the ground against a lightning striker like Swick, whose infamous knockouts of Alex Schoenauer and Gideon Ray earned him his “Quick” nickname.

You know the deal, who you got Potato Nation?

-J. Jones

The 15 Greatest Knockouts in ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ History

(No, no, not THAT kind of ultimate fighter.)

Seven years. Fifteen seasons. The Ultimate Fighter has been a part of our lives for nearly a decade, ladies and gentlemen, and not only is it still going strong, but it has spread at the rate of your average zombie apocalypse. With the first international installment of the hit reality show already under way, TUF has seemingly evolved beyond its counterparts, transcending even that of the sport in it’s ability to excite, and often inspire its audience. Sure, the next season of Jersey Shore will feature a piss drunk pregnant woman and a ~~possible~~ probable cokehead and will therefore rule the ratings from here to eternity, but The Ultimate Fighter has something better to bring to the table than fabricated drama. Mainly, sweet ass knockouts.

Seven years of sweet ass knockouts, to be precise. That’s the entire length of Tommy Callahan’s college career.

With these knockouts, we’ve seen underdogs pull off upsets, loudmouths get their comeuppance, and the emergence of future superstars. So in honor of what has already been a KO-ridden season of TUF, we decided to watch every season back to back, and determine the BEST knockout from its respective season. Enjoy.

(No, no, not THAT kind of ultimate fighter.)

Seven years of sweet ass knockouts, to be precise. That’s the entire length of Tommy Callahan’s college career.

Season 15 – James Vick vs. Daron Cruickshank

We imagine many of you would prefer to have Justin Lawrence’s KO of Christiano Marcello snag the top spot for this year’s brief (albeit brutal) list of knockouts. But the simple matter is, James Vick’s sorta-knee-sorta-kick knockout of Daron Cruickshank earns its place for a multitude of reasons, the first being how unexpected it was. Not many of us had picked Vick to come out victorious after seeing how diverse a striking attack Cruickshank showcased in his preliminary match. Add to that the first couple minutes of the fight, which were completely controlled by said diverse striking attack, and Cruickshank seemed all but destined to advance. Then he got cocky, went for a takedown, and was promptly knocked the fuck out.

These are the costs of hubris.

Season 14 – Diego Brandao vs. Jesse Newell

Diego Brandao blew through TUF 14 in more devastating fashion than the monsoon that wrecked the set of Apocalypse Now. The main problem we had when deciding upon last season’s top KO wasn’t figuring out who deserved it, but rather which one of Brandao’s deserved it. Was it his steamrolling of Steve Siler? Or maybe his beatdown of Bryan Caraway? The correct answer was actually his flying forearm KO of that poor albino bastard Jesse Newell in episode 1. Our reasoning; it was eerily reminiscent of Dan Henderson’s “‘Amurica” KO of Michael Bisping at UFC 100, something that opposing coach Jason “Mayhem” Miller couldn’t help but notice himself. And anything that makes us recall perhaps the single most glorious moment in MMA history will always gets its just deserves here at CP.