The Past and Future 03.09.09: Cub Swanson
Posted by Robert Steele on 03.09.2009
“I feel like I'm flying under the radar, but that’s cool with me for now.” This week The Past and Future profiles WEC Featherweight Cub Swanson. He discusses his career, including his 2007 loss to Jens Pulver, and his upcoming fight with Diego Nunes.
At WEC 40 on April 5th, Cub Swanson will fight Diego Nunes. He is coming off two straight wins against Donnie Walker and Hiroyuki Takaya since his set-back in 2007, when he lost by a quick submission to Jens Pulver. His fight with Nunes will be a chance to add to his impressive 13-2 record, and may allow him an opportunity to fight a bigger name in the Featherweight Division.
The Past:
Born in Palm Springs, California, Cub Swanson had a tough start to his life. His father died of cancer when he was six-months old. Due to his mother's personal problems he and his siblings moved away to live with relatives for several years, before he decided on moving back with his mother as a young teen.
He got in to some trouble growing up, before he had discovered martial arts. "I was dying to start something new in my life," he said, "some kind of competition, and I stumbled upon BJJ."
Swanson began competing in jiu-jitsu tournaments, having great success. Of his most memorable moment before his pro MMA career, he noted his win at the Pan-American Games. "I was just on fire that day and I came from a tiny jiu-jitsu school in Palm Springs."
Swanson's first pro fight didn't go according to plan. He injured his knee early and his opponent, Shannon Gugherty, took advantage of the situation. He lost the fight to a rear-naked choke.
Swanson pressed on, bouncing back to win nine professional fights before debuting with WEC. He would get a first round guillotine in his debut win over experienced fighter Tommy Lee.
His second fight in WEC was against submission specialist Micah Miller. The fight went the distance, with Swanson winning over Miller by unanimous decision. It wasn't the knockout he had hoped for. "I was trying to work my way inside -- striking without getting clinched," he said. "I had worked a lot on counters for that. I underestimated his ground skills, but I was rolling with very crafty black belts."
With two wins he earned a fight with a big name, Jens Pulver, at WEC 31. Pulver was making his WEC debut, and featherweight debut, coming off a loss to BJ Penn. The fight was postponed by three months due to a knee injury incurred by Pulver. This angered Swanson, who indicated he thought Pulver was faking it to allow himself more time to prepare.
Swanson lost in the first 35 seconds of the fight by submission. In an interview with TAGG Radio, he said he failed to properly analyze the situation. He thought Jens was putting on a guillotine, and instead it was a "wrestler's front head lock." According to Swanson, he continued, trying to pull guard. This instead made the situation worse and led to the quick submission. Pulver then verbally berated Swanson, and ‘flipped-off' his nearby crowd of supporters.
Although Pulver apologized to Swanson later, and Swanson then forgave him, it is clear there is still some resentment. "I beat myself in that fight and I learned a harsh lesson about being humbled," he said. "I have learned to be happy about it though, because I was forced to take a step back and look at my options. Even though I lost to a prick."
Following the tough loss, Swanson took a fight outside WEC against Donnie Walker. It was a chance to refocus. He won via rear-naked choke in the third round.
On his return to WEC, Swanson had a crowd-pleasing victory over Shooto and K-1 veteran Hiroyuki Takaya. "I'm all about the show," Swanson said. "I want to win and win dramatically. I love when people come up to me and say, ‘That was the best fight!' It makes it worth the hard work. Overall I was happy with that fight, but felt a little ring rust."
The Future:
Cub Swanson will need a few more impressive wins in order to be a top featherweight contender in WEC. The loss to Pulver was a huge setback, especially since Pulver did not look impressive afterwards, losing twice to Faber and once very quickly to Leonard Garcia.
Swanson discussed the crowded Featherweight Division. "I was injured a lot last year, so I kept having to take the back seat," he said. "I feel like I'm flying under the radar, but that's cool with me for now."
One of Swanson's greatest strengths is his conditioning. It is always top-notch, always a step above his opponent's. Even though most fighters at this level are always in top form, his seems to be just that much higher. It is what sets him apart from other fighters. He spoke a bit about his conditioning training: "I believe in running long distance for your overall cardio, and sprints for your explosiveness. Then combine that with rolling and sparring."
He will need to keep this top form against undefeated fighter Brazilian fighter Diego Nunes, who is 12-0. "I know he wants to stand with me," Swanson said. "I am just working on my skills all the way around so I can take it where I want it."
Cub Swanson would like to thank: "My fans for being loyal even when I was down. My training partners and my students at Tru MMA. Thanks!"
