Cub Swanson: I was kicked out of jiu-jitsu schools because I’m fighting a Gracie

UFC veteran Cub Swanson will co-headline the UFC’s upcoming event in Tampa, Florida against Kron Gracie. And because of his opponent’s last name, Swanson…

By: Milan Ordoñez | 4 years ago
Cub Swanson: I was kicked out of jiu-jitsu schools because I’m fighting a Gracie
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UFC veteran Cub Swanson will co-headline the UFC’s upcoming event in Tampa, Florida against Kron Gracie. And because of his opponent’s last name, Swanson says he’s received some backlash from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academies.

“I’ve been able to get a lot of jiu-jitsu in because he’s a Gracie, and he has the name. It’s been an interesting one,” Swanson said in a recent episode of UFC Unfiltered (transcript by MMA Junkie). “I’ve been kicked out of a couple of jiu-jitsu schools because of the respect. They don’t want to train somebody that isn’t a Gracie, which really pisses me off.”

Swanson, a black belt under Rigan Machado, already has a strategy in place against a formidable grappler like Kron.

“Fights like this I need to be technical,” he said. “I think I need to not show him any respect when it comes to getting comfortable and just start punching him in the face. I also am a black belt. I’ve gotten criticized for my jiu-jitsu before, but I wasn’t able to always roll with the best of the best grapplers because I was focusing on my striking.”

UFC Tampa is headlined by a strawweight fight between former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Michelle Waterson. It takes place on October 12th at the Amalie Arena.

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Milan Ordoñez
Milan Ordoñez

Milan Ordoñez has been covering combat sports since 2012 and has been part of the Bloody Elbow staff since 2016. He’s also competed in amateur mixed martial arts and submission grappling tournaments.

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