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Cub Swanson vs. Dustin Poirier: Keys to Victory for Featherweight Contenders

Either Cub Swanson or Dustin Poirier are going to be one step closer to becoming true contenders for the UFC featherweight title after UFC on Fuel 7.The two 145ers will co-headline the London event, and the winner will have a strong case to enter the t…

Either Cub Swanson or Dustin Poirier are going to be one step closer to becoming true contenders for the UFC featherweight title after UFC on Fuel 7.

The two 145ers will co-headline the London event, and the winner will have a strong case to enter the title picture.

Swanson has seen his struggles throughout his career. He has five losses, including an eight-second knockout at the hands of Jose Aldo, but he’s looked better than ever lately. He’s currently riding a three-fight win streak with all three wins coming by way of knockout.

Poirier was once considered a top contender in the division before getting upset by Chan Sung-Jung in May 2012. Since then, “The Diamond” has rebounded with an impressive submission victory over Jonathan Brookins. A win over Swanson and he will be right back on track to being a big star in the featherweight division.

With both fighters on the precipice of contention, this should be a highly contested fight. Here’s what each fighter must do to have his hand raised at the end of the night.

Cub Swanson

Swanson’s path to victory is fairly obvious—he wants to use his explosive striking on the feet to knock Poirier out as soon as possible.

He’s one of the most explosive strikers in the division and has highly polished kickboxing that really hasn’t been seen in his first 15 professional fights.

Taking the fight to the ground with Poirier is a risky proposition, but Swanson has been in the cage with much more dangerous strikers. He’ll look to control the distance, figure out the openings in Poirier‘s stand-up game and land big shots.

If he can avoid the clinch, keep the fight standing and turn the fight into a kickboxing match, he’ll be in good shape to win the fight.

Dustin Poirier

Poirier has solid striking in his own right, but he’ll want to avoid the feet against a tough veteran like Swanson.

Where Poirier really excels, and wants this fight to take place, is on the mat.

Poirier has one of the most dangerous submission games in the division and has earned six of his 13 wins by way of submission. Swanson isn’t completely inept in the grappling department, but it’s worth noting that three of his five losses have come by way of submission.

Poirier is a big featherweight with a highly effective top game. His best bet to neutralize the kickboxing of Swanson is to utilize the clinch as much as possible and work for takedowns. Once successful, he can start to work away at locking in a sub.

If he can get this fight to the ground, he should have enough grappling to either earn the decision or catch Swanson with a choke.

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UFC on Fuel 7: Live Reaction for Every Fight

UFC on Fuel 7 comes to you live from London this Saturday. The main event will see Renan Barao defend his Interim UFC bantamweight championship against Michael McDonald.The exciting 12-fight card also features a big fight in the featherweight division….

UFC on Fuel 7 comes to you live from London this Saturday. The main event will see Renan Barao defend his Interim UFC bantamweight championship against Michael McDonald.

The exciting 12-fight card also features a big fight in the featherweight division. Contenders Cub Swanson and Dustin Poirier square off in an attempt to thrust their names in to the title discussion.

Stay with us for live reactions from UFC on Fuel.

Quick Results:

Tom Watson defeats Stanislav Nedkov by TKO at 4:42 of the second round

Vaughan Lee defeats Motonobu Tezuka by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Phil Harris defeats Ulysses Gomez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

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Barao vs. McDonald: Interim Title Fight Brings Relevance to UFC on Fuel Card

Even to the most ardent MMA fan, the cards that have been put on UFC on Fuel have been—to put it nicely—lacking in relevance.That won’t be the case on Saturday when UFC on Fuel 7 goes down.A bantamweight interim title fight between Renan Ba…

Even to the most ardent MMA fan, the cards that have been put on UFC on Fuel have been—to put it nicely—lacking in relevance.

That won’t be the case on Saturday when UFC on Fuel 7 goes down.

A bantamweight interim title fight between Renan Barao and Michael McDonald headlining the card means that this event has a relevance usually reserved for FX cards at minimum. That’s a move that should be welcomed by UFC fans watching on TV at home and abroad.

Make no mistake, this isn’t a complaint about the strength or weakness of past cards on Fuel. Considering the amount of money the company stands to gain from pay-per-view sales, it’s nice to see free fights regardless of the fighter’s position in the pecking order.

Cung Le vs. Rich Franklin was a fun matchup. For fans in China, that’s a huge fight. However, neither carry the relevance in their weight division that Barao or McDonald possess (regardless of what Anderson Silva thinks of Cung Le).

From a business standpoint, it makes no sense to regularly put title fights on cards that air for free on a station that many don’t have. To expect that is unrealistic. However, it was a smart move for the UFC to add a title match to this specific event.

Firstly, it acknowledges a large fanbase that often gets the short end of the stick when it comes to live events.

England has existed as a strong market for the UFC for a long time. The organization made its first stop in 2002 and has re-appeared in the country sporadically. This event will be the first one in the country since 2010.

The fact that the UFC was willing to put a title fight on the free card shows a dedication to building the brand in the country. For an organization looking for international expansion that’s a great decision.

Aside from rewarding the fans of England with a quality fight, the extra attention of a title fight will also provide the rising prospects on the card a chance to shine.

From Paul Sass to Jimi Manuwa to Gunnar Nelson, this card features some of the most promising international talent that the UFC has to offer. While it may have been a more conventional move to put a hometown fighter in the main event, the main event of Barao and McDonald should attract more TV viewers.

If the UFC really wants to make its presence felt internationally, it has to nail these events overseas. With a solid main event between two major players in their division, they did just that with UFC on Fuel 7.

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UFC on Fuel TV 7 Live Streaming Post-Fight Press Conference Video

Renan Barao is set to defend his interim bantamweight title for the first time, and he will try to do so against Michael McDonald in the UFC on Fuel TV 7 main event.The Brazilian champion earned his belt with a win over Urijah …

Renan Barao is set to defend his interim bantamweight title for the first time, and he will try to do so against Michael McDonald in the UFC on Fuel TV 7 main event.

The Brazilian champion earned his belt with a win over Urijah Faber, but it initially looked like he would sit out and wait for fellow champion Dominick Cruz to return from injury. However, when Cruz suffered a setback in his recovery from a knee issue, Barao was matched up with McDonald.

McDonald hasn’t competed in more than nine months due to hand surgery. When he last appeared, McDonald picked up the biggest win of his career, a knockout of former WEC champion Miguel Torres.

In addition to the bantamweight title fight, an important featherweight bout between Cub Swanson and Dustin Poirier will also be featured on the main card.

After the event concludes, Barao, McDonald and several more of the night’s competitors will likely join Dana White for a post-fight press conference. A live-streaming feed of the post-fight press conference will be available on the video player above, so make sure to to tune in.

After the press conference, stick with Bleacher Report for more on UFC on Fuel TV 7 and the rest of your MMA needs.

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Keys to Victory for Cub Swanson at UFC on Fuel 7

Cub Swanson will meet Dustin Poirier in the co-main event of UFC on Fuel 7, and there’s a wealth to be gained for the man capable of claiming victory. A win for either man launches him much deeper into title contention, but Swanson has a measure …

“The Diamond,” who had amassed four consecutive wins inside the UFC’s Octagon, tasted defeat two fights ago when he ran into top contender Chan Sung Jung. He’s since picked up a submission stoppage of former The Ultimate Fighter standout Jonathan Brookins, but he lacks the career forward movement that a resurgent Cub Swanson now possesses.

A series of highly ranked contenders have emerged in the featherweight division (the aforementioned Jung, Ricardo Lamas and Chad Mendes included), but Swanson could position himself at the top of the heap should he batter Poirier in impressive fashion at UFC on Fuel 7 this weekend.

What does Swanson need to do to ensure a victory tomorrow night? Really, he only needs to be himself, but I’ll elaborate.

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UFC on Fuel TV 7: Fights That Will End with Devastating KOs

Who doesn’t love an exciting KO? Aside from the guy getting knocked out, the answer to that question is just about no one.UFC on Fuel 7 has a few bouts on the schedule that have tremendous KO potential. Some feature two KO artists, and others look like…

Who doesn’t love an exciting KO? Aside from the guy getting knocked out, the answer to that question is just about no one.

UFC on Fuel 7 has a few bouts on the schedule that have tremendous KO potential. Some feature two KO artists, and others look like mismatches that won’t end well for one of the participants.

Here is a look at the fights that I predict will end in a KO.

Ryan “Big Deal” Jimmo (17-1) vs. James Te Huna (17-5)

Both of these man pack a huge wallop as strikers, but Jimmo‘s UFC debut in his native Canada had MMA fans talking.

Jimmo flattened Anthony Perosh in seven seconds—he proceeded to do the robot and a split as a celebratory dance.

Ladies and gentleman, a star may have been born at that moment. He bears a striking resemblance to Mr. Clean, and I predict he wipes the floor with yet another opponent.

Te Huna is no slouch, but Jimmo is more than a flash in the pan. He trains with the Blackzilians, and he has an excellent grappling background to augment his immense punching power.

The KO won’t happen in seven seconds, but it will happen.

“Beautiful” Che Mills (15-5) vs. Matthew “Deep Waters” Riddle (7-3)

Mills was the victim of a gruesome beating in his fight against Rory MacDonald at UFC 145, but he bounced back with a KO win over Duane Ludwig in September.

He has another tough fight on his hands with the dynamic and talented Matthew Riddle.

Mills is a premier striker that has an advantage over most if the fight takes place in the stand-up. Riddle could take Mills down, but he’s proven to be a little too daring for his own good at times.

His striking ability is developing, but is not on Mills’ level. In an effort to prove himself and make a statement, he will be stopped by the man they call Beautiful.

Mills will make a mess of Riddle.

Cub Swanson (18-5) vs. Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier (13-2)

Swanson is a gamer, but I don’t see him as an elite fighter. He’s prone to carelessness in the ring. This is what cost him in his UFC debut against Ricardo Lamas at UFC on Fox 1. He was actually winning the battle in the stand-up, but he initiated a takedown which led to his submission loss.

During his time in the WEC, I saw Swanson allow himself to be lured into his opponents’ style as well.

Meanwhile, Poirier is on his way to stardom. He is a very balanced fighter that has the ability to finish in a variety of ways.

On Saturday night, we will see the Diamond display his KO power. Swanson has only been stopped by KO or TKO once, and that came at the hands of Jose Aldo.

Poirier will join some select company in this one. Swanson’s aggressive nature will cause him to press the action as usual, but this time he’ll run into a strike that will put him in peril.

Poirier is ready to bust out, and he’ll KO Swanson.

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