Cub Swanson gives retirement update following UFC Tampa knockout win: “I could be done right now”
UFC Hall of Famer Cub Swanson might be done fighting for good.
The fan favorite known simply as ‘Killer Cub’ returned to the octagon on Saturday night at UFC Tampa. Back for the first time since a controversial decision loss to Andre Fili in June, Cub Swanson faced Billy Quarantillo. A fellow action fighter in his own right, ‘Billy Q’ entered the bout after a submission loss to Youssef Zalal in March.
As expected, the fight was an absolute slugfest. The two landed massive shots for two rounds before Cub Swanson closed the show in round three with a brutal 1-2. Following the knockout win, the UFC Hall of Famer admitted that the bout could’ve been his last. At 41 years old, Swanson admitted that he’s been thinking about hanging up the gloves for a while.
Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s podcast earlier today, the featherweight contender discussed his future. There, Cub Swanson again stated that Saturday night might really be it for him. While ‘Killer Cub’ is aware that he can still compete at the top level, it’s not really about that. For Swanson, he’s ready to focus more on his family and move on from fighting.
“For the most part, the way I’m feeling right now, I’m pretty happy. I think I can be done right now.”@CubSwanson reflects on if his win at UFC Tampa will be his last fight. pic.twitter.com/kobovYKbww
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 16, 2024
Cub Swanson gives update on potential retirement following UFC Tampa knockout win
Later in the interview, the 41-year-old admitted that he would’ve retired in June, had he gotten the nod over Andre Fili. However, Cub Swanson also added that he’s still got some more thinking to do about retirement. During UFC Tampa fight week, the featherweight did show interest in a potential rematch with Doo Ho Choi.
“No, I’ve been feeling like it’s close.” Cub Swanson stated to Ariel Helwani, when asked about his post-fight retirement comments at UFC Tampa. “I didn’t want to put a stamp on it, one thing I wanted to do though was get my 30th win. I woke up on my last fight, with the Fili fight, I thought ‘Man, it’s International Fight Week, I’m on the main card, it’s going to be huge, what a night if I go out there and put on a show, I may call it’. If I get beat up, I probably shouldn’t be fighting.”
He continued, “So, I went out there and put on a great fight. Then, everyone was like ‘I thought you won’, you looked ripped, you looked great’, it left me kind of empty. I didn’t get an answer. So, I wanted to get right back in there and do it again, and I got this opportunity… I’m very content on where I stand right now. We’ll see if I get excited about something. But for the most part, the way I’m feeling right now, I’m pretty happy. I think I can be done right now.”
What do you make of these comments from the UFC Hall of Famer? Do you want to see Cub Swanson fight again?
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