Cub Swanson loves UFC Tampa ‘storybook ending,’ but not closing door on fighting career
Cub Swanson authored the perfect ending to an incredible career on Saturday. But he’s not sure if his story is ready to wrap up just yet.
The 20-year MMA veteran shined in the co-main event of UFC Tampa, battling tooth-and-nail with Billy Quarantillo before ending their featherweight bout in dramatic fashion with a third-round knockout. In his post-fight interview, Swanson teased a possible retirement, though he didn’t make a definitive statement either way as for whether he’ll fight again or not.
He kept that same energy speaking to the media at the evening’s post-fight press conference.
“I’m always going to be tempted,” Swanson said. “We’ll see how I heal up. I’ve got three little kids that are getting a little bit older now and definitely want my attention more. I’ve got a bunch of fighters, my Team Bloodline, my guys I manage and coach, I put a lot of effort into them and these last couple of fights have really allowed me to show them how to do it and not just talk about it, I was able to be about it and show them, lead by example. I honestly am more excited to be a coach at this point. I love this sport and the nice thing about being on the other side of the cage is I don’t go home with lumps and bruises.”
“For sure, that definitely could be a storybook ending, so it’s going to have to be something exciting to get me motivated,” Swanson added.
Swanson has much to consider when it comes to retirement talk. He’s competed 44 times as a pro, compiling a 30-14 record with wins over a number of notable names and losses to some of the very best ever to compete at 145 pounds. On Saturday, he collected his eighth UFC Fight of the Night bonus, suggesting he still has plenty to offer a month after he celebrated his 41st birthday.
According to Swanson, this is far from the first time he’s had to consider hanging up the gloves.
“My mom and my stepmom, who both are very close to me, begged me to stop fighting in 2011 when I fractured my face and I could have stopped then,” Swanson said. “I could have stopped at any moment, but I just always felt like I had more to do. At this point, I feel like I’ve done a lot and I’m proud of it, so like I said, it would have to be something really exciting, so we’ll see what happens.”
Asked to pick the favorite moment of his career, he picked his UFC 206 win over Doo Ho Choi, which was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s Fight Wing in 2022. It’s a bout that is significant to Swanson for a number of reasons.
“I mean, the Doo Ho Choi fight is hard to top,” Swanson said. “I have so many fights that are special for different moments. People don’t understand there’s so many things that happen in camps and in life that you need to overcome, so there’s special fights for different reasons, but for sure the Doo Ho Choi fight because I had the fight of the year, I made the Hall of Fame because of it, and then I found out I was going to be a father that night, so it’s pretty hard to top.”
Swanson said he’d be open to a rematch with Choi, who scored an impressive victory over Nate Landwehr at UFC 310 this past Saturday.
For now, Swanson is left to bask in the glory of his latest win. While he knew this could potentially be the final fight of his career, when he stepped into the cage he did his best not to focus on what it meant in the grander scheme of things.
“I try not to put too much on it because it’s ultimately my decision and what I want to do, but my biggest thing for this fight was just to not be pressured, put the pressure on myself to perform and be tense and have this war,” Swanson said. “I had a little bit of a war, but I was trying to be fast and loose and paint a picture and make it beautiful and something I could be proud of, and if it was the last, that I could say, ‘Man, I’m happy with that.’”