Cub Swanson Claims He’s Been Kicked Out Of Jiu-Jitsu Schools Ahead Of Fight With Kron Gracie
Cub Swanson will be making his return to the Octagon against Kron Gracie next week in the co-main event of UFC Tampa.
All the action goes down from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida on Saturday, October 12. Speaking to the “UFC Unfiltered” podcast ahead of the matchup with Gracie, Swanson admitted he had trouble finding a jiu jitsu gym that would train him given he was facing a Gracie. The Gracie name is almost synonymous with jiu-jitsu, so when some schools found out Swanson was fighting Kron Gracie, he was given the boot. (H/T MMA Junkie)
“I’ve been able to get a lot of jiu-jitsu in because he’s a Gracie, and he has the name. It’s been an interesting one,” Swanson said. “I’ve been kicked out of a couple of jiu-jitsu schools because of the respect. They don’t want to train somebody that isn’t a Gracie, which really pisses me off.”
It’s an unfortunate situation for Swanson, who says jiu-jitsu really saved his life and opened up the door for his venture into MMA. Of course, the reason he decided to begin training in MMA is because he learned the politics within the sport of jiu-jitsu itself.
“This is what I mean by it takes me back, because when I got into jiu-jitsu as a sport, it helped save my life,” Swanson said. “I was going down the wrong path. People know the story, I was getting into trouble, and I found jiu-jitsu. I fell in love, and I just competed all the time, and it became a passion.”
“I was really interested in the Gracie family and what they did,” Swanson added. “And huge honor and respect to them and then after competing and doing all that, I learned the politics of the sport and how ridiculous it could be, and it kind of left a little sour taste in my mouth, and that’s why I started doing more MMA.”
What do you think about Swanson being kicked out of jiu-jitsu schools ahead of his fight with a Gracie?
