Cub Swanson – Page 8 – Syndication Server

UFC on ESPN 23 predictions: It’s a close one between Dominick Reyes, Jiri Prochazka

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN 23 main card, featuring Dominick Reyes vs. Jiri Prochazka.

	Reyes vs. Prochazka	Chikadze vs. Swanson	Cutelaba vs. Jacoby	Jotko vs. Strickland	Dvalishvili vs. Stamann	Botelho vs. Carolina
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2021: 50-34	Prochazka (69%)	Chikadze (59%)	Cutelaba (59%)	Strickland (69%)	Dvalishvili (70%)	Botelho (81%)
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2021: 57-31	Prochazka	Chikadze	Cutelaba	Strickland	Dvalishvili	Botelho
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2021: 56-32 2018 Champion	Prochazka	Chikadze	Jacoby	Jotko	Dvalishvili	Botelho
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2021: 54-34	Prochazka	Chikadze	Cutelaba	Strickland	Dvalishvili	Botelho
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2021: 54-34	Reyes	Chikadze	Cutelaba	Jotko	Dvalishvili	Botelho
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2021: 54-34	Reyes	Swanson	Jacoby	Strickland	Stamann	Botelho
Nolan King @mma_kings 2021: 53-35	Reyes	Chikadze	Jacoby	Strickland	Dvalishvili	Botelho
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2021: 53-35 2017 Champion	Prochazka	Swanson	Jacoby	Strickland	Stamann	Botelho
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2021: 52-36 2020 Champion	Reyes	Swanson	Jacoby	Strickland	Dvalishvili	Botelho
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2021: 51-37	Reyes	Chikadze	Cutelaba	Strickland	Dvalishvili	Botelho
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2021: 49-39 2014 Champion	Prochazka	Chikadze	Cutelaba	Strickland	Dvalishvili	Botelho
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2021: 49-39	Reyes	Swanson	Cutelaba	Jotko	Dvalishvili	Botelho
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2021: 48-40	Reyes	Chikadze	Jacoby	Strickland	Dvalishvili	Botelho
BetMGM Betting Favorites	Prochazka -135	Chikadze -175	Cutelaba -120	Strickland -275	Dvalishvili -250	Botelho -275

After an event in Florida, the UFC is back on its home turf with a former light heavyweight title challenger at the top of the bill.

UFC on ESPN 23 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN2 and streams on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

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In the main event, former 205-pound title challenger [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) meets [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] (27-3-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC). Prochazka is a slight favorite at -135 at BetMGM, but it’s Reyes with a slight 7-5 lead in the picks from our 12 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) is a -175 favorite against [autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag] (27-11 MMA, 12-7 UFC) at featherweight. Chikadze doubled up on Swanson in our picks at 8-4.

Our most contentious fight from a picking standpoint is at light heavyweight between [autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC) and [autotag]Dustin Jacoby[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC). Cutelaba is a mild favorite at -120, and the picks are dead even at 6-6.

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) and [autotag]Krzysztof Jotko[/autotag] (22-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) have similar records going into their middleweight bout. But Strickland is a big favorite at -275, and he’s got a 9-3 lead in the picks.

[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) is a big favorite, too, at -250 in his bantamweight bout against [autotag]Cody Stamann[/autotag] (19-3-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC), and only two pickers are taking Stamann in an upset.

And to open the main card, we have our only unanimous pick at 12-0. [autotag]Poliana Botelho[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) pitched a picks shutout in her women’s flyweight bout against [autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC).

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Prochazka (69 percent), Chikadze (59 percent), Cutelaba (59 percent), Strickland (69 percent), Dvalishvili (70 percent) and Botelho (81 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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Cub Swanson sees himself as tough test for Giga Chikadze, plans on reminding people why’s he’s still around

Cub Swanson expects his experience to play a major factor against one of the brightest prospects in the division.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag] expects his experience to play a major factor against one of the brightest prospects in the UFC’s featherweight division.

Swanson (27-11 MMA, 12-7 UFC) meets [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 23 co-main event, where he’ll look to hand the streaking contender his first octagon loss.

Having competed against a who’s who list of contenders throughout his UFC tenure, Swanson has seen it all. He holds notable wins over current title challenger Charles Oliveira and former interim champion Dustin Poirier but is also no stranger to killing hype trains such as Doo Ho Choi and Kron Gracie.

In Chikadze, Swanson sees a talented fighter, but one that hasn’t been tested yet, and he plans on showing him that there are levels to this game.

“I really respect his strengths which are obviously his kicks and his kickboxing background,” Swanson told MMA Junkie at UFC on ESPN 23 media day on Wednesday. “I don’t think he’s as well-rounded as he needs to be to be at the top of the UFC in our division. I know he’s working all those things and he’s got a good team. He’s got a good record, and I don’t think the guys he’s fought have been the best of the division yet, so I don’t think he deserves to be up at the top yet. I think he’s on his way, and he’s got to get through me, obviously, and I think I’m going to be a tough test for him. I see myself reminding people why I’ve been around for so long.”

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He continued, “At this point in martial arts, it’s about who dictates the pace and who dictates the distance, and I think that’s the major key here. For him to win, he likes a certain distance. He likes to maintain his pace that he feels comfortable that he can throw all his kicks and move around and be elusive, and I need to disrupt that. I need to be on the outside moving, as well, and in his face and then roughing him up, making him uncomfortable, make him tired, and all those things messes his rhythm up. I’m confident I can do that, and that just makes him think ‘I’m having an off night,’ and that means it’s a good night for me.”

Swanson is back on a winning streak for the first time since April 2017. He’s coming off back-to-back wins over Gracie and Daniel Pineda, and the 37-year-old says he still has some fight left in him as he makes his 20th octagon appearance.

“I honestly think I got a couple more years,” Swanson said. “I literally take every fight like it’s my last. I’ve been doing that for a while because I’ve had some major injuries in my career, and it’s made me really know that it could be taken away at any moment, so that’s been kind of amazing that I’ve been around for this long. But yeah, I think I got a couple more years.

“I don’t really want to put too much on it because a couple of wins drags you this way, losses drag you this way. I’m taking it one thing at a time, but I would love an ideal scenario to work my way up the rankings one more time and above all, I’d love a retirement fight in Palm Springs. They’re building a 10,000-person arena, hockey arena in Palm Springs, and I would love to bring this sport back to my hometown where I started.”

UFC on ESPN 23 takes place at the UFC Apex. The entire card airs on ESPN2 and streams on ESPN+.

Watch the video above for Swanson’s entire UFC on ESPN 23 media day interview.

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Cub Swanson on reaction to MMA media ‘amateur fights’ tweet: ‘That was pretty cool to see both sides’

Cub Swanson caused quite a stir when he suggested MMA media should have fighting experience, but he explained that was not his intention.

[autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag] caused quite a stir on social media when he tweeted to suggest that MMA media should have fighting experience, but the UFC and WEC veteran has revealed that he was somewhat taken aback by the response.

The perennial featherweight contender took to Twitter last month to offer the thought that MMA media should be required to have at least three amateur fights. His tweet sparked a massive debate, with fans, fighters and media all weighing in.

I think all MMA media should be required to have 3 amateur fights 🤷🏽‍♂️ Thoughts?

— Cub Swanson (@CubSwanson) February 12, 2021

Many people had fun with the idea, while others didn’t receive Swanson’s comments too well. But Swanson (27-11 MMA, 12-7 UFC) explained that he didn’t mean to offend anyone. He merely meant that if MMA media pulled on the gloves and stepped into the cage to compete, they’d have a greater appreciation and understanding of what the fighters go through.

“I really didn’t mean too much by it,” Swanson told MMA Junkie Radio. “It was more of a hypothetical, ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be nice if MMA media kinda understood where we were coming from a little bit more than just as a fan? But you could experience what we experience and you could possibly understand our process on a deeper level,’ and that was just wishful thinking.

“When I went back and read it I go, ‘Oh, that’s pretty direct, the way I said it,’ so I could see how it was taken that way. But I do appreciate the discussion that it brought, and I thought that was pretty cool to see both sides. There was some arguing, but there was a lot of discussion that was nice.”

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Swanson went on to admit that fighters sometimes get upset at what the media may write about them, which makes it natural to think that people need to be in your shoes to understand what you go through. So Swanson explained that he was just throwing a hypothetical scenario out there that would help MMA media appreciate the fighters’ grind more.

“It did make me think both sides are kinda on the same boat,” Swanson said. “I was thinking about it. Me as a fighter, if you write a story and if it offends me somehow or just makes me feel a type of way, (it’s) because maybe you don’t understand what I was going through in this camp because this is my life. I’m doing this camp, living life and trying to perform and you guys get to write something about me.

“I think it goes both ways, where if you had to write something and a fighter is trying to attack you about it, I’m sure there’s many times where media was thinking the same thing like, ‘You guys don’t understand how our job works and some pressure we might be feeling. You don’t understand a deadline or that we have to ask this certain question.’ I think I chalked it up to it would be nice if both sides could really understand each other a little deeper.”

Back on a winning streak for the first time since 2017, Swanson will make his 20th walk to the octagon when he takes on streaking prospect Giga Chikadze at UFC Fight Night on May 1.

https://youtu.be/b1OSZZGhEro

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Cub Swanson set to face Giga Chikadze at UFC Fight Night on May 1

Cub Swanson will look to stop another surging contender when he faces Giga Chikadze.

[autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag] will look to stop another surging contender when he faces [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag].

Swanson (27-11 MMA, 12-7 UFC) meets Chikadze (12-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on May 1 in an event that does not yet have an official venue or location.

A person with knowledge of the matchup recently confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Adjara Sport was first to report the news. Swanson later shared the matchup on Instagram.

A perennial contender in the featherweight division, Swanson was able to rebound from a four-fight losing streak with back-to-back wins over Kron Gracie and Daniel Pineda. After defeating Gracie, Swanson tore his knee during a grappling competition, which sidelined him for over a year. He made his successful return at UFC 256 in December, knocking out Pineda in the second round for his first finish since 2013.

Georgian fighter Chikadze is on a roll. Since joining the UFC roster in September 2019, Chikadze has notched five wins in the octagon, most recently scoring a “Performance of the Night” finish of Jamey Simmons in the first round at UFC on ESPN 17.

With the addition, the latest lineup for the UFC’s May 1 event now includes:

Jiri Prochazka vs. Dominick Reyes
TJ Brown vs. Kai Kamaka III
Dean Barry vs. Mike Jackson
Poliana Botelho vs. Ji Yeon Kim
K.B. Bhullar vs. Andreas Michailidis
Damon Jackson vs. TJ Laramie
Sam Hughes vs. Loma Lookboonmee
Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Augusto Sakai
Krzysztof Jotko vs. Sean Strickland
Giga Chikadze vs. Cub Swanson

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Cub Swanson went old school for UFC 256 victory over Daniel Pineda

Cub Swanson dug back into what made him a contender to earn his UFC 256 win over Daniel Pineda.

[autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag] is not exactly trying to reinvent the wheel.

The seasoned veteran is taking a step back in order to focus on the things that once made him a UFC championship contender. Swanson (27-11 MMA, 12-7 UFC) feels that in order to move forward at this stage of his career, he needs to hold back on learning new things and adding to his game, and instead sharpen the old tools.

And that mentality paid off with his victory over Daniel Pineda at UFC 256.

“This whole year off gave me the opportunity to think about my game and what made me great,” Swanson told MMA Junkie Radio. “What I did was kind of really dive back in. I said that when I got injured, I wanted to start back over from the beginning and just get back to what I was really good at and what made me shine.

“I really felt like I did that this camp, and I really believe that the little things that I did for so long were giving me an advantage, and at some point I was just kind of … you know, when you’re trying to progress, you always lose certain things. When you’re trying to add something to your game, you always lose something else, and that something else is something so important.

“It turns out that I was missing some important aspects of my game. I knew I was going to bring those back for this fight, and yeah, I felt like I was firing on all cylinders right now.”

Swanson picked up an impressive second-round finish of Pineda. It was his first fight back since undergoing knee surgery earlier this year.

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The 37-year-old now has back-to-back wins, which helped him bounce back from a four-fight losing streak. Swanson feels he’s making the right adjustments to move forward in his game.

“This win meant a lot to me just to kind of put a stamp on this whole year of recovery,” Swanson said. “It’s just a step in the direction of being the best version of myself.”

Swanson would like a quick turnaround, but he suffered a broken hand in the fight against Pineda and said he expects to be recovering for eight weeks before he gets back to full training.

The popular veteran says he’s open to all opportunities when he returns but hopes to get big names and fun matchups.

“I know (the fans are) going to enjoy whatever fight I bring to the table, but people want to see two big names fight,” Swanson said. “I’d love the opportunity to get somebody they wouldn’t have thought I’d fight in my career, so that’s why I’d be open to doing different weight classes. But we’ll see. I’m open for whatever, just trying to get back into shape and have another great performance.”

For more from Swanson, watch the video above.

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Cub Swanson refocusing on past strengths: ‘I wanted to start back over’

Cub Swanson speaks with MMA Junkie Radio about his win over Daniel Pineda at UFC 256, his plans moving forward, and much more.

UFC 256 medical suspensions: Deiveson Figueiredo, Brandon Moreno among seven potentially out six months

A total of seven fighters could be facing up to six-month shutdowns after their UFC 256 fights.

UFC flyweight champion [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (20-1-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC) and [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (18-5-2 MMA, 6-2-2 UFC) who battled to a majority draw in the night’s headliner, could both have to wait up to six months before running things back.

After delivering a “Fight of the Year” contender, Figueiredo will need clearance by a doctor for a possible broken right little toe and an MRI for his right bicep. Moreno needs an MRI of his left shoulder and an X-ray of his left forearm.

[autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] (25-5 MMA, 15-3 UFC), who suffered a unanimous decision loss to Charles Oliveira in the night’s co-main event, needs an MRI to clear his right elbow or he could be out for up to six months.

[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who earned a hard-fought decision win over Virna Jandiroba, needs a facial CT to rule out a nasal fracture and an X-ray to clear her left hand, otherwise she’ll be suspended for 180 days.

[autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag] (27-11 MMA, 12-7 UFC), who returned after a yearlong layoff to knock out Daniel Pineda, may be facing six months on the shelf unless he gets his right hand cleared through an X-ray.

Debutante [autotag]Sam Hughes[/autotag] (5-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who was diagnosed with a hyphema, or pooling of blood inside the eye in her TKO loss to Tecia Torres, could also be looking at a six-month suspension unless she gets the eye cleared by an ophthalmologist. Hughes’ corner stopped the fight at the end of Round 1 after she claimed she couldn’t see out of her left eye.

[autotag]Peter Barrett[/autotag] (11-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC), who was submitted after getting caught in a kneebar by Chase Hooper, must have an MRI of his right knee, or he, too, will be looking at six months on the sidelines unless cleared.

MMA Junkie obtained the full list of medical suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com for UFC 256, which took place this past Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The full list of UFC 256 medical suspensions includes:

Deiveson Figueiredo: Suspended 60 days with 45 days no contact. In addition, needs clearance of possible broken right little toe with an X-ray and MRI of right bicep, otherwise suspended 180 days.
Brandon Moreno: Suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact. In addition, needs clearance of left shoulder with an MRI and X-ray of left forearm, otherwise suspended 180 days.
Tony Ferguson: Suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact. In addition, needs clearance of left elbow with an MRI, otherwise suspended 180 days.
[autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact due to cut on left eyebrow.
Mackenzie Dern: Suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact. In addition, needs clearance of possible nasal fracture with a facial CT and X-ray of left hand, otherwise suspended 180 days.
[autotag]Virna Jandiroba[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact.
[autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with 45 days no contact.
[autotag]Junior dos Santos[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with 45 days no contact.
Cub Swanson: Suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact. In addition, needs clearance of right hand with X-ray, otherwise suspended 180 days.
[autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with 45 days no contact.
[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with 45 days no contact.
[autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with 21 days no contact due to left eye laceration.
Sam Hughes: Suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact. In addition, needs clearance of left eye by ophthalmologist, otherwise suspended 180 days.
Peter Barrett: Suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact. In addition, nneeds clearance of right knee with MRI, otherwise suspended 180 days.

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UFC 256 post-event facts: Deiveson Figueiredo, Brandon Moreno make history with draw

The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 256, which saw Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno fight to a draw in the main event.

The UFC’s 2020 pay-per-view schedule came to a close Saturday. UFC 256, which took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, marked the 11th and final numbered card of the year.

[autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (20-1-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC) emerged as the last champion to defend this calendar year when he fought [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (18-5-2 MMA, 6-2-2 UFC) to a majority draw in the main event, keeping his belt in the process.

For more on the numbers to come out of the event, check below for 40 post-event facts from UFC 256.

UFC 256 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: 2020 total won’t surpass $7 million

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 256 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $220,500.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 256 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $220,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 256 took place at UFC Apex. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

The full UFC 256 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag]: $40,000
vs. [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag]: $30,000

[autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag]: $15,000

[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Virna Jandiroba[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag]: $15,000

[autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag]: $20,000

[autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Gavin Tucker[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Tecia Torres[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Sam Hughes[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Chase Hooper[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Peter Barrett[/autotag]: $3,500

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

“UFC 256: Figueiredo vs. Moreno” – $220,500
“UFC on ESPN 19: Hermansson vs. Vettori” – $120,000
“UFC on ESPN 18: Blaydes vs. Lewis” – $93,500
“UFC 255: Figueiredo vs. Perez” – $275,000
“UFC Fight Night 182: Felder vs. dos Anjos” – $114,000
“UFC on ESPN+ 40: Santos vs. Teixeira” – $146,500
“UFC on ESPN+ 39: Hall vs. Silva” – $145,000
“UFC 254: Khabib vs. Gaethje” – $215,000
“UFC on ESPN+ 38: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie” – $120,000
“UFC on ESPN+ 37: Moraes vs. Sandhagen” – $129,000
“UFC on ESPN 16: Holm vs. Aldana” – $118,000
“UFC 253: Adesanya vs. Costa” – $225,000
“UFC on ESPN+ 36: Covington vs. Woodley” – $169,000
“UFC on ESPN+ 35: Waterson vs. Hill” – $137,000
“UFC on ESPN+ 34: Overeem vs. Sakai” – $82,500
“UFC on ESPN+ 33: Smith vs. Rakic” – $158,000
“UFC on ESPN 15: Munhoz vs. Edgar” – $88,000
“UFC 252: Miocic vs. Cormier 3” – $201,000
“UFC on ESPN+ 32: Lewis vs. Oleinik” – $162,000
“UFC on ESPN+ 31: Brunson vs. Shahbazyan” – $103,500
“UFC on ESPN 14: Whittaker vs. Till” – $209,500
“UFC on ESPN+ 30: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2” – $165,000
“UFC on ESPN 13: Kattar vs. Ige” – $97,000
“UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal” – $305,500
“UFC on ESPN 11: Blaydes vs. Volkov” – $178,500
“UFC on ESPN 10: Eye vs. Calvillo” – $95,000
“UFC 250: Nunes vs. Spencer” – $266,000
“UFC on ESPN 9: Woodley vs. Burns” – $114,500
“UFC on ESPN 8: Overeem vs. Harris” – $184,500
“UFC on ESPN+ 29: Smith vs. Teixeira” – $166,000
“UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje” – $305,500
“UFC on ESPN+ 28: Lee vs. Oliveira” – $209,500
“UFC 248: Adesanya vs. Romero” – $257,000
“UFC on ESPN+ 27: Benavidez vs. Figueiredo” – $119,500
“UFC on ESPN+ 26: Felder vs. Hooker” – $130,000
“UFC on ESPN+ 25: Anderson vs. Blachowicz 2” – $186,500
“UFC 247: Jones vs. Reyes” – $243,000
“UFC on ESPN+ 24: Blaydes vs. Dos Santos” – $169,000
“UFC 246: McGregor vs. Cowboy” – $165,000

Year-to-date total: $6,373,500
2019 total: $7,370,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $37,428,000

UFC 256 video: Cub Swanson returns from ACL surgery with vicious KO of Daniel Pineda

Cub Swanson earned what has to be one of the most gratifying wins of his career on Saturday.

[autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag] earned what has to be one of the most gratifying wins of his career Saturday at UFC 256.

After taking 14 months off to recover from ACL surgery, Swanson (27-11 MMA, 12-7 UFC) made an emphatic comeback to the cage with a second-round knockout of Daniel Pineda (27-14 MMA, 4-5 UFC) in their featherweight matchup at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Pineda came out of the jump fighting strong and putting some effective aggression on Swanson. He pushed too hard and started to make mistakes, though, and the veteran Swanson capitalized as he connected on a huge shot that dropped Pineda, then landed one more for good measure to get the knockout at the 1:52 mark of Round 2.

Check out the replay below (via Twitter):

Killer @CubSwanson put the paws on Daniel Pineda. The claws are still sharp 🐻

Stream #UFC256 on ESPN+ ➡️ https://t.co/WVX4zKCSVh pic.twitter.com/7ZNX9HsX7I

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 13, 2020

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Following his successful return to action, Swanson was overcome with emotion. He opened up about how difficult the road back was and the importance of his victory.

“The last two days I’ve been terrified, just questioning myself,” Swanson said in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. “I kept thinking about my kids and that I’m their superhero.”

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