Cub Swanson never saw himself as a journeyman – instead, he embraced the journey.
A perennial contender at featherweight under both the WEC and UFC banners, Swanson (30-14 MMA, 15-10 UFC) notched many notable wins over the likes of former champion Charles Oliveira and ex-interim champ Dustin Poirier, but never became champion.
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Swanson will make his final walk in Saturday’s UFC 327 (Paramount+) main card opener at Kaseya Center in Miami when he takes on Nate Landwehr (18-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC) .
“I’ve had some really low points in this sport and I’ve been able to pull myself out of it, and I think that’s what this sport is all about,” Swanson told MMA Junkie. “I was recently going after somebody online because they tried to put me down by saying I’m just a journeyman.
“I’ve come to realize that I really appreciate that term ‘journeyman’ because I coach a lot of fighters and they’re fighters that have rough childhoods where they’re going through things, and fighting is their therapy and their way to become a stronger human. I think that pursuit is why they’re a journeyman, not that they don’t win a lot of fights. So I find the term disrespectful and misused, misrepresented.
“I am a journeyman. I’ve been searching for something, and this sport helped me find it.”
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The 42-year-old will continue coaching and running his management company, Bloodline, as he looks to help the newer generation reach similar heights.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Why Cub Swanson thinks the word ‘journeyman’ is being misrepresented
