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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Cub Swanson's fight with Frankie Edgar on Nov. 22 is the type of fight that would typically lead to a title fight for the victor. Indeed, that's what Swanson says he's been told by the UFC.
The @ufc has assured me the next shot at Aldo. As long as I win my fight against Edgar. http://t.co/PIRQgURAAS
However, the emergence of Conor McGregor has muddied those waters, and Swanson's not trusting the UFC's promises until a bout agreement is signed. In an interview with Duane Finley at BleacherReport.com, Swanson explained why he's happy with his fight against Edgar, but irritated by the the title situation in the featherweight division at the moment.
"Everything about this fight is great for me right now," Swanson said. "Frankie is a great fighter with a big name. We are both working to get to the title, and it should be a great fight. He obviously wants to get back there and get another shot at the belt, and I have a lot of buzz around me right now with this winning streak, and he wants to take that from me. On my end, I've had a lot of wins, but I'm not getting the credit I believe I deserve. A big win over a fighter with the name recognition Edgar has will definitely help that cause.
"This a fight that I've wanted, and I love this fight. It's a main event on a solid Fox Sports 1 card in a great venue, and I'm happy with that. My focus is on defeating Frankie Edgar, but I'm pissed off about the whole title situation. It's unfortunate because Frankie is a cool dude, and I'm going to take all that frustration out on him.
"For my past three fights, people have been asking me if I'm excited to get the title shot," he continued. "My win over Dennis Siver could have gotten it. My fight against Jeremy Stephens was supposed to be an official title eliminator, and this fight with Edgar is another title eliminator. They've decided to pass me by, and hearing the winner gets a title shot almost means nothing to me.
"I'll be excited to get a title shot when I have a contract for that fight, but until then it's just words. I've had a chip on my shoulder for a long time and especially so now with all of this. I'm just going to keep winning fights, and I'll take out the frustration of being passed over on whoever they put in front of me."
Penick's Analysis: At this point Swanson absolutely deserves his shot if he beats Edgar, but the UFC is going to go with whatever they feel like going with if McGregor beats Dennis Siver in January. It's not a guarantee Swanson beats Edgar, either, but if he does, he'd be right to feel upset if the UFC gave the shot to McGregor. Unfortunately that just may not mean much at that point. Regardless, he just needs to keep beating whomever the UFC puts in front of him, because eventually they won't be able to deny him any longer.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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