Cub Swanson not planning MMA unretirement after UFC 327: 'I'm over it'
After a 22-year career, Cub Swanson is ready to guide the next generation of MMA fighters and set aside some of his own lumps and bumps.
MIAMI – Cub Swanson hung up his gloves Saturday after a 22-year career. Unlike a lot — nay, most? – MMA retirements, his feels like it'll stick.
Swanson went into his featherweight fight against Nate Landwehr at UFC 327 at Kaseya Center pre-determined to walk away at the end. His wife, former UFC host and spokesperson Kenda Perez, and three kids were on hand for his swan song hoping to see him head into the sunset with a win. Swanson (31-14 MMA, 16-10 UFC) delivered and then some.
He took out Landwehr (18-8 MMA, 5-6 UFC) with a brutal knockout sequence in the first round. And though the powers-that-be decided his fairy-tale perfect ending wasn't worthy of a post-fight bonus, Swanson knew the time was right. "It feels great – I'm over it," Swanson told MMA Junkie at his post-fight news conference.
"Fighting is painful, and I've been able to have a high threshold of pain for a long time and be able to ignore it and tell yourself, 'You're good, you're good. ' But I'm over that part. " Now Swanson says he'll pour all his MMA energy into continuing to build younger fighters who are part of the team he's putting together at Bloodline Combat Sports in Palm Springs, Calif.