Cub Swanson: 'I'm not sure that I'll fight again'
Just over a year ago, featherweight Cub Swanson was knocking on the door of a world title shot. The KO artist had won six straight and appeared to be just one fight away from getting a crack at UFC gold.
Unfortunately for him, he ran into former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar next, and "The Answer" stopped Swanson's momentum with a last-second submission. After that, Swanson lost to rising contender Max Holloway by way of another last-second submission, this past April.
In Las Vegas this past weekend for International Fight Week and UFC 189, Swanson revealed to Jonathan Shrager that he very well may never fight again. Two straight losses and a long career's worth of injuries have taken their toll on the 31-year-old.
"Ultimately, I'm not even 100 percent [sure] that I'm going to fight again," he said.
"With breaking my jaw again, [and] this [being] my ninth broken hand, I'm definitely hungry but I want to make sure that my mind is on it 100 percent, if I'm going to do it."
That's a smart decision as fighting is no place to be when one is anything less than all-in. Swanson has always been all-in when it is time to step in the cage -- at least he's made it appear that way.
The blood-and-guts fighter never fights cautiously and has collected some spectacular wins over the course of his top-notch career. Still, he's fought professionally since he was just 20 years of age, and over a decade of training camps and competition warrant a re-evaluation.
For now, Swanson said that he plans to travel, train a bit, and test out his will to fight on. If he wants it, he'll go for it.
But, if not, he has no problem stepping away from the sport of MMA as a competitor. "I'm traveling a little bit. I'm going to spend the rest of the year just getting into shape, seeing how I feel, working on some things," he explained.
"If I get super hungry, I'll fight. If I do it and I'm just not feeling it, then maybe I won't."
