Cub Swanson: No One Thought Conor McGregor Would Defend His Belt

Cub Swanson and Doo Ho Choi put on an epic featherweight clash at last night’s UFC 206 pay-per-view from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in which ‘Killer Cub’ was able to edge out a unanimous decision win over the ‘Korean Superboy’.

Swanson, who has been competing in the UFC’s 145-pound division for five years now, was asked during the post-fight press conference for his thoughts on the now-former featherweight champion Conor McGregor no longer being a part of the division after being stripped of his title; to which Swanson stated that he’s glad ‘The Notorious One’ is no longer associated with 145 pounds:

“No not at all, I’m glad he’s gone,” Swanson said. “Not a fan of the guy. He didn’t want to defend his belt, I don’t think anybody thought he was gonna come back down to 145, it’s obviously a hard cut for him. It was ridiculous, all these guys fighting great fights in the 145-pound division and not having something to shoot for, with a guy that’s not even fighting in our weight-class anymore.

“I think at first people might talk and have negative things to say, but once Aldo and Holloway probably fight and things get cleared up and new guys are coming in, I think it’s gonna be for the better.”

McGregor is currently expected to be out-of-action for ten months to enjoy the birth of his first child, while Swanson is steadily climbing his way back into the title contenders conversation after racking up his third straight win. Some good fights could be awaiting Swanson as fellow featherweights Frankie Edgar and Ricardo Lamas are also coming off of big wins themselves.

Regardless of who Swanson finds himself sharing the Octagon with next, it will certainly be a pivotal bout to shape up the featherweight title picture after the presumable Max Holloway vs. Jose Aldo title unification bout that awaits us.