Cub Swanson: Between a rock and a hard place

When Cub Swanson ran over Charles Oliveira at UFC 152, you couldn’t help but to be happy for the Palm Springs native. After nearly a decade in the sport, Swanson finally emerged into a main-card slot and made the most of it with a right-hook which finished his favoured opponent. Having his hand raised with a smile on his face from ear-to-ear was definitive proof hard work pays off. The injury-ridden Swanson had made it as a mixed martial artist and was now among the elite in the UFC’s featherweight division. Three straight wins in the UFC generally means the sky is the limit, and championship fights are on the horizon. However, I can’t help but feel a sense of defeat for Swanson. Despite the three straight wins, all by knockout, there’s a feeling of despair already abound about him. Results do not lie and Swanson’s history against the UFC’s featherweight elite is not pretty. It was WEC 41 in June 2009 when Cub Swanson met then rising star Jose Aldo in what served as a number one c...