"I would love to fight Jens again. I really don't see it happening just for the fact that he really has no reason to fight me. I was an underdog and I lost so there's no reason for him to, but if he gave me an opportunity, I would take that fight in a second! I know I can beat him," stated WEC featherweight Cub Swanson as he talked about his desire to avenge his loss to Jen Pulver. Check out what he's been up to since that loss as he talks about his win over Donnie Walker and the broken thumb he suffered in the fight as well as his August 3rd return to WEC when he's tentatively scheduled to face Hiroyuki Takaya.
NS: Cub, thanks for giving FightHype a few minutes of your time. How you feelin' man?
CS: I'm doin' good; just healing up from some pretty big injuries. Just lovin' getting back into it. Got the hunger; I wanna hurt people, you know?
NS: Nice, nice. Speakin of injuries, last time I saw you was about a month ago at The Battle at the Ballroom in Irvine. I saw you had a cast on your hand. How's that feeling? How's it coming along?
CS: You know, it's a little sore, but I got some metal in there so I dont really worry about it too much. I just figure it's gonna take care of itself as long as I tape it up, you know, and be careful and give it a little bit of time before I go too crazy. I don't really worry about it. A little bit of soreness and swelling really doesn't bother me.
NS: How did the injury happen anyway?
CS: I took a fight in a show in Ohio for IFBL, which is a really cool show. Right off the bat, we were feeling the guy out. I took a shot and threw a big left hook and I smashed the side of my thumb on the side of his head, didn't really turn my hand over all the way, and just shattered my thumb. You know, in MMA, we really don't tape our thumbs up as much because of the grappling aspect and I knew it was broken right away. I didn't end up finishing him up until the 3rd round so I ended up having a one-handed fight, but it was fun.
NS: I was checking out your stats and noticed your last fight was in the IFBL. Does this mean you're a free agent now or are you still under contract with the WEC? What's going on right now?
CS: You know, it wasn't that...I'm still with the WEC. They really didn't want me to take that outside fight, but I pretty much asked them if that was cool just for the fact that I trained so hard for the Jens Pulver fight and, you know, it just didnt go my way. It really took a lot out of me as far as pushing my body 'cause I was in such great shape. Gettin' my ass whooped would not have bothered me, but getting taken out real quick, you know, I really didn't get to show the skills so that just really killed me. I just really wanted to take a fight, kind of away from everybody, and really concentrate on working all the aspects of my game
NS: I noticed your pro debut was a loss and a few fights later, you avenged that loss. Do you hope to some time get that chance to do it with Jens again?
CS; I would love to fight Jens again. I really don't see it happening just for the fact that he really has no reason to fight me. I was an underdog and I lost so there's no reason for him to, but if he gave me an opportunity, I would take that fight in a second! I know I can beat him. I know it! I just know it! I just feel like I made a mistake and then he capitalized on it and well, that's just the way that it is. I took my loss like a man and I would never be afraid to fight him again.
NS: Speaking of being under contract with an organization or being a free agent, which do you prefer?
CS: Well, being a free agent, you kind of bounce around and stuff like that and the way I see it, you make some good money right now, but in the long run, sticking with one is gonna make you more money as long as your doing well and I mean that. The way Zuffa is, you know , you stick with them and youll make the good money and well, they're pretty cutthroat. If you ain't winning, then they dont want you because they're the top organization so I just feel like if I'm as good as I should be, then I will just keep doing what I do then eventually, it will pay off
NS: What weight do you like to fight at, 145 or 155, or what do you prefer?
CS: I like 145. I feel it's a better weight class for me just for the fact that at 155, I was gettin' thrown around all the time. I was just movin', movin', moving', getting people tired and then just capitalizing on that. At 145, i get to do a good fight thoroughly, you know? I'm not worried about getting thrown around, smashed and outmuscled.
NS: Do you have a homebase gym or do you like to go to different gyms to face different styles?
CS: In the last year, I have definately been moving a lot, not really caring about hurting anyone's feelings, you know, 'cause in the end, it's all about me. I'm the one that's getting in therer and stuff, but my home gym's are Team Paulson, Eric Paulson is my coach there and we got great guys out of there, and OC Muay Thai, Dave Jensen is my trainer there. He's the one that helped me with all my mental game and Paulson helped me with all my little tricks and I learned how to put everything together. The only reason I really travel around is for sparring partners, not really coaching, just sparring partners and getting pushed by different people. But my homebase...those are my two gyms, but recently I helped open a gym out here in my hometown, Palm Springs, and I've been helping people out who say they want to fight and really show that they really truly want it. I'm happy to help.
NS: What fighter do you like to watch? who would you pay to watch?
CS: I would have to say GSP. The guy is just complete and that's what I want. I just want to be a complete fighter and he does everything that he can to get there. Besides him, I love watching friends of mine, people that I train with like Barnett, Babalu , Justin Levens and all kinds of fighters that I train with. I get most excited watching them because I've sparred with them. I feel like I have a personal relationship, a good friendship, with these guys. Joe Stevenson is one of my good buddys. I get so nervous watching them fight more than me.
NS: When can Cub Swanson fans expect to see you in action again?
CS: August 3rd, WEC. It looks like I will be fighting Takaya. It's in the works right now, but it's pretty much locked up. I think it's a good fight for me and to be honest, no one has really seen me fight since Micah Miller, like a year ago. The whole Jens thing, I didn't really get to show anything and my fight in Ohio, nobody really got to see and I've been working my butt off this whole time and I've learned so much. I'm just excited to get out there and mix it up and get another good fight up on TV so my fans get to see that stuff.
NS: Do you have some short term goals for the remainder of '08 and what are your long term goals beyond '08?
CS: Well, I'd like to finish off this year with a couple of wins, that would be awesome, and next year, I'd love to get my shot at a title. I know I'm young and I've been patient and even getting knocked back after the Pulver fight. I just take that as an, "Okay, don't worry about it," you know? I'm only getting better. My whole long term and short term goals are to be the best; that's all I want. I mean, it's a lot to ask for, but I dont care. That's what I want.
NS: Right on Cub. Thanks a lot for a few minutes of your time. Good stuff. Good Luck on August 3rd.
CS: Thanks and I appreciate you guys having me on.
