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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
The UFC's featherweight division has seen a nunber of big fights booked over the next several months, but one of the names absent from that list is Cub Swanson. The rising contender has been on an excellent run, but he's had to sit and watch while the rest of his contemporaries have been getting fight bookings.
"It can be frustrating, but I try to stay positive," Swanson said in an interview with FoxSports.com. "I've always been the guy that took whatever fight the UFC gave me. When nobody else wanted to fight Aldo back in the day and all these fights that I took, they were all learning experiences. I didn't have an amateur career, so I kind of felt like I've been learning as I go all these years. It's been cool, it's a journey, and I've enjoyed it."
"Through everything, I've been in the gym, I've kept my head up, and I've kept pushing forward" he continued. "I've seen so many people call it quits in this sport, and I'm still pushing, still improving, still have the hunger, and I'm fighting better than ever. I want to be the best in the world and I feel like I deserve to fight the best in the world because I think I'm right there.
"I've been asking them and telling them I want to fight, and they know it needs to be a fight that makes sense, but there is just nothing available. It sucks. I'm not injured and I haven't been injured at all – I've been in the gym training, been out to Albuquerque to do some training there. I'm just waiting – waiting for my opportunity and waiting for what's next, and I really want a big fight and feel like I've earned a big fight."
Penick's Analysis: Swanson is in a tough spot in that he has lost to some of the big names in the division, but has worked back into contention and deserves a big name fight. Unfortunately everyone else has gotten booked, so he needs to fight a lesser name opponent to stay active or wait for some others to play out. It's a crappy situation, but there's not much more he can do right now.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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