We haven’t seen Cub Swanson since his submission loss to Max Holloway in April, which marked the second consecutive defeat for the Californian featherweight contender. Since then, Swanson has been “barely recovering” from a broken hand and jaw he sustained during the fight, as he told MMA Crazy during fight week in Glasgow, Scotland.
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Asked about some remarks he made lately, about not knowing whether he will ever fight again or not, he revealed that he is in fact thinking about retiring.
“You have to take into consideration that I’ve had some bad injuries and I as a person have to evaluate that. I have to know, when is enough enough,” Swanson said. “I feel like I can still go in there and put on great performances, I feel like I can still grow and be a better fighter. But at what point am I risking too much? We’re going out there and laying it all on the line.”
According to Swanson, three plates in his hand and three plates in head will always remember him of his fight against Holloway. After 27 professional fights, a lot of them wars and Fights of the Night, he now wants to put him and his health first, even if that means to hang up his gloves for good. A decision, he will not make until next year.
“I’m pretty sure that I’m gonna fight again. But there’s still a little bit of doubt where I have to evaluate my situation,” he said. “I’m gonna take the rest of the year to train my butt off, I really am, I just kind of wanna enjoy it. And when I get hungry and I wanna do it, I call Sean (Shelby) and say, set something up.”
One more reason for Swanson, besides his injuries, to stay out of the Octagon is the plan by anti-doping association USADA to ban the intravenous infusions that fighters use for rehydration after weigh-ins.
“I think it’s dumb, really dumb”, Swanson complained. “Because the thing is: fighters are fighters and the IV’s were actually making it safer. ‘Cause people are gonna cut weight regardless, everyone’s gonna push the boundaries. They’re gonna try to do their best. There was nothing illegal, it’s not a performance-enhancing drug. The fact of the matter is: People are gonna cut weight. And if people are cutting weight and they can’t rehydrate, then they’re going in there with less fluid in their body and they are more likely gonna get knocked out. We’re gonna see worse knock-outs, so I just think it’s stupid.”
Swanson feels, because of the IV ban, the UFC will be in need of more weight divisions with smaller steps between each category.
“It’d be easier for them to have more weight divisions and more champions, since we have so many fights,” he said. “It makes sense to have more divisions and have people to be able to move around and see what is best for their body.”
Swanson is currently ranked number five in the UFC’s official rankings. Should he decide to come back, he already has an opponent in mind: the new interim-featherweight champion Conor McGregor, who won the belt one week ago against late-replacement Chad Mendes.
“Of course! I can’t stand him and I’d love to knock his ass out”, Swanson said. “I know I’d beat him. Simple.”
Swanson wasn’t too impressed with McGregor’s performance, who got taken down and battered with elbows, before finishing Mendes with hard shots late in the second round.
“I still think he’s an idiot”, Swanson said. “He fought a guy that wasn’t ready, he got dominated for two rounds and he got the win. I thought he fought smart. I was actually happy that he showed a glimpse of some class. Being cool with Chad that actually made me happy.”
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