Quotes from Cub Swanson

When you treat your career early on really crappy, you can't expect to be in a good position. That's just the way pro fighting is.

The thing is, I've had many tough fights in my career, all for different reasons. So I think all those together is what makes me the fighter I am now. The biggest fight I've ever had is against myself - whether to give up or not.

I can fight a lot of different ways. I'm pretty crafty.

I feel like I'm the fastest puncher in the featherweight division.

I feel like when the public, when the fans are ready to see me fight for the title, whoever they want to see me fight, then that's what I need to do cause that's my job.

For a long time, I've been an overthinker. The problem with that is when you're in perfect shape for a fight and you've got everything worked out and you've got all the moves you think you're going to need and everything's fine but in your own mind you're going to make up things and you just add pressure.

Just give me the big fights and pay me to show up and let me do my thing, and I'll go home and hang out with my family and do my thing.

I let my fighting do the talking, I don't have to put on great show and dance to make it bigger than it is.

When someone throws a power shot and you want to counter, you have to lean into it as you block it so that you can come right out with what you are throwing. If you roll away or lean back, it's going to knock you off balance, and you won't be able to counter the punch. Being able to do that comes from experience, and life is the same exact way.

When I was super young, and everybody who has been in fan of mine from the WEC days, I was just tough as nails, fearless and that's what made me tick. I'm not those things anymore. I'm fearless, but I plan ahead. I'm strategic. I'm smarter, and I'm just a different person than I was.

Digging down and finding out where your head is at when a fight is about to come, I used to get to a dark place and that's not really a place I want to go anymore. I got kids, I enjoy my life and I'm having a good time. I don't feel like I need to go there anymore.

If I never fought for the belt, it wouldn't bother me. That whole song and dance gets tiring, and it's a lot of playing favorites. I've just had it dangled in front of me so many times, I'm just like, whatever, man.

I'm fast and I move well so I know how to come in at weird angles and keep my feet under me. I'm looking for that power shot and I might not be able to fire off anything after it if my feet aren't under me. Footwork is a huge part of my game.

As a fighter, your hands are always hurting.

Golf doesn't look like it's going to be that hard, but then you start to do it and you realize, 'Wow, this isn't that simple.' Me being an athlete and knowing my body, it was frustrating at first and I was having a hard time with it. But I had a coach and I was able to pick up on the little things that were required.

If I fight that fight that makes everybody go, 'Wow, he's unstoppable,' - that's all I can do.

I realize that I put my body through a lot, but I've always thought at the same time if I was a plumber or any kind of worker in that industry, which a lot of people that I grew up with are, I would imagine that their bodies feel the same, their backs are wrecked.

All these tough times that I've had in my career, I've just been able to prove that I can persevere and to me that means everything.

I think that one thing that I've prided myself on is that tough situations make for tougher people and that was one of my goals as well getting into this sport, I wanted to be a tougher human. I wanted to be a tougher man and basically when I had kids I'd be able to be like a superhero to them, and I feel like I'm accomplishing that.

This sport definitely saved my life. I was messing up and headed in the wrong direction. I was never a bad kid or anything like that. I just, you know, like many people, just kind of wanted to rebel and to do something different.

I think fighters for a long time, were afraid to pull out of fights for many reasons. Like sitting on the shelf for a long time due to not having as many fight cards back then. Feeling like a wuss, disappointing the boss and fans, or just needing the money.

For a little while I kind of shunned away from the media and just concentrated on my skill sets and performing and I got that down.

I think the criticism Coach Greg Jackson gets is ridiculous and it makes me angry.

I don't want a broken jaw again.