UFC Fresno preview: Swanson goes all in on himself in pivotal bout
Free agency remains a largely foreign concept in MMA, but Cub Swanson is flirting with it.
After spending a combined decade under the WEC and UFC banners, the 34-year-old featherweight fan favorite will be gambling on himself during the latter outfit's Saturday visit to Fresno, Calif., where he'll face Brian Ortega in the last fight of his existing deal to close out UFC Fight Night 123.
Fighters typically enter negotiations for a re-up with the UFC brass prior to the last bout on their contract, and if he hadn't sired a daughter earlier this year, the fourth-ranked Swanson - a winner of four straight - might have been headed to Save Mart Center knowing he could still call the world's top fight factory home. But fatherhood has a way of changing things.
As Swanson told ESPN's Brett Okamoto two months ago, he aims to enter a pay bracket fit for a company man - and for the reliable purveyor of fireworks he is - in addition to gaining some clarity on where he fits in the ever-bustling featherweight title picture, and what more needs doing to secure that elusive shot at UFC gold.
(Photo courtesy: Reuters)
If fights with Doo Ho Choi and Artem Lobov didn't confirm Swanson's suspicions of relegation to gatekeeper, his latest dance partner may very well do so, as Ortega has walked to the Octagon only four times to his 13. But while the WEC vet has every intention of taking out his impasse with the brass on his foe, Ortega not only poses a very real threat to Swanson's designs, he also heads into his first headlining gig with just as much to gain.
The undefeated 26-year-old's pay grade isn't exactly befitting of his status as the world's sixth-ranked featherweight. In fact, the Los Angeles native pocketed just $52,000 ($26,000 to show; as much to win) in a Fight of the Year contender opposite Renato Moicano at UFC 214, and recently revealed to ESPN he's "still in the hood." That said, the submission artist isn't fretting over the cabbage or the admittedly sorry state of his 1999 Chevy, even with negotiations on a new deal looming over the penultimate bout on his existing one.
Unlike Swanson, Ortega takes comfort in knowing time is on his side, contentedly inching toward the top of the featherweight pyramid. A win over a top-tier fixture in Swanson would most certainly expedite his rise.
A night of newcomers
While Swanson could be on his way out if Saturday's gamble goes south, a quartet of promising blue-chippers are on their way in.
Among the bill's debutants is Alex Perez, one of the many discoveries from Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series. The 25-year-old earned his roster spot with a first-round tapout of Kevin Gray in the fifth edition of the program this past August, and brings a five-fight win streak into his promotional initiation opposite Carls John de Tomas - who fell to Naoki Inoue on points in his first walk to the Octagon in June.
The pair were originally scheduled to meet at flyweight, but will now clash at bantamweight after De Tomas' weight cut raised some eyebrows among the California State Athletic Commission.
Another fighter who succeeded on the DWTNCS proving ground, unbeaten bantamweight Benito Lopez will open the evening's main card in a dance with Albert Morales. The Team Alpha Male protege saw his hard-fought split decision over a gritty Steven Peterson rewarded with a UFC contract just two weeks after Perez achieved the feat, and makes his maiden voyage under the promotion's banner with an 8-0 record including five wins via first-round stoppage.
Related: Why you should be excited about Benito Lopez's UFC debut
Former LFA middleweight champion Markus Perez and Ring of Combat alum Merab Dvalishvili round out the card's crop of newcomers. Perez, 27, most recently submitted Ian Heinisch in September to win the feeder outfit's crown, and will meet fellow LFA vet Eryk Anders in a battle of undefeateds with a 9-0 slate including wins over UFC alumni Paulo Thiago and Ildemar Alcantara.
Georgia's Dvalishvili, 26, sharpens his sword at the Serra-Longo camp in Long Island, N.Y., and last spoiled Raufeon Stots' designs of joining the big show with a 15-second spinning back fist KO in June, a stoppage White witnessed cageside. Tasked with welcoming him to the Octagon is Frankie Saenz, who'll look to snap a three-fight skid on the card's prelims.
Related - UFC Fresno predictions: Will Ortega stay perfect vs. a perennial contender?