Cub Swanson: After the Wreckage
By Dave Carpinello
PunchDrunkGamer had a chance to talk with Cub Swanson following his fight with Jens Pulver at WEC Wreckage about the loss and his future.
PDG: How are you feeling; any injuries from the fight with Pulver?
Cub: I feel fine and I am just trying to ease back into training. With the holidays coming up I will still be training, just not as much. Probably once a day instead of the standard twice a day like I usually do.
PDG: Are going back up to Big Bear to train with Joe Stevenson?
Cub: I will probably be going back up there next week.
PDG: Alright, let’s get to the fight with Jens. What went wrong with your game plan?
Cub: He caught me. I went out there, I felt good, and I looked good at the start. I had my hands up and I was circling the right way. I didn’t execute the single leg as well as I should have. I was trying to hook his leg and he was able to turn me and I didn’t want to end up on my back. I sprawled and was expecting Jens to hit me but instead he slipped in the choke and I didn’t see it coming.
PDG: Most fans don’t know the amount of work a fighter puts in before a fight. What are the emotions that you go through when you go out and the fight doesn’t end in your favor?
Cub: The feelings I had before and then after the fight are hard to explain. There is a lot of pressure to perform before the fight and then after you lose there is a lot of disappointment. There are a lot of people that try to tell you what you did wrong and its hard because they don’t know what you just went through. It was very difficult for me not only because I wanted to win but because I wanted to give the fans a great fight. I see myself as a warrior, a fighter and an entertainer.So to have the fight end like it did was disappointing, even if he had knocked me out bad later in the fight; it would have been fine as long as it was a good fight for the fans to watch.
PDG: I am sure you will get a chance at redemption. How many more fights do you have on your current WEC contract?
Cub: Yea I know, I have two more fights on this contract.
PDG: After the fight was over it appeared that Jens stood over you said “Fuck Off” and then went over to your corner and said the same thing.
Cub: Yes he did and at that point I really got mad because you can hype a fight with whatever words you want. To do that after the fight is totally disrespectful. If I had won that fight I would have walked over to him and shook his hand and hoped everything was cool. I wanted to go after him but it wasn’t worth losing the money I got for losing and/or getting suspended.
Afterwards at the Hard Rock, I saw Jens and he came up to me and apologized for what happened. It was cool and I respect him for that. Looking back he must have had a lot of pressure on him going into that fight after losing his last couple of fights and so it must have been a huge load off of his shoulders. I don’t blame him now for letting out some emotion. After talking to him I respect him, it is always good to see that people can take responsibility when stuff like that happens. I’m not mad at him anymore and it’s all good.
PDG: So why did he taunt your corner? Which happened to have Joe Stevenson in it?
Cub: I think it was because I had a lot of fans that were in attendance that night and they were booing Jens when he won. That must have really pissed him off because nobody likes to be the bad guy and I would say the majority of the people in that room wanted me to win. Being booed sucks and when you let your emotions get the best of you….that is what happens.
PDG: How long till your next fight?
Cub: I would like to fight again as soon as possible. I just need a little time off for myself and my girl. I need to keep things good in my personal life. The two training sessions I went through for this fight took a lot out of me (note: Jens had to withdraw a week before their first scheduled fight earlier this year). I trained really hard the first time and even harder the second time around. So I just need a quick break and then I will get back to it. I love fighting and I just want to beat someone.
PDG: Who would you like to fight next and is a possible match-up with Jeff Curran something that would interest you?
Cub: I am waiting for my manager to talk the WEC but we don’t want to rush anything. When you lose a fight you’re quick to make decisions that don’t always turn out to be the smartest and he wants to make sure that doesn’t happen. I will fight anybody in the division and I know that I match up well with Curran. Both of us have similar fighting styles so I would love to fight him. Maybe not next because I need to make decisions that are going to have an impact on my career. This is my job and I need to get paid. It is hard especially when you lose a fight because you don’t get that bonus. I was fortunate enough to win so many in a row and get that bonus but when you lose and don’t get it……it sucks!!
PDG: Anything else you want to tell your fans?
Cub: I want to apologize to the fans for not giving them a good, long entertaining fight. Jens caught me and I give all the credit to him. I’ll train harder and the next time I won’t disappoint. Thanks for all the support and I’ll be back.
