With last night's (Sat., June 28, 2014) victory over Jeremy Stephens in the main event of UFC Fight Night 44 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, Cub Swanson is now undefeated in his last six fights inside the Octagon. Sprinkled in there are three bonus awards and a whole hell of a lot of combat entertainment.
So why is it he's still struggling to get into the title discussion?
It could be -- and most likely is -- that Jose Aldo is still the king of the featherweight division. That's the same Jose Aldo who blitzed Swanson in 2009, beating him in eight seconds on his way to the WEC title, one he's still holding to this day. It's been an uphill battle to convince the powers that be that Swanson is ready for another crack at the crown.
He doesn't really help himself when taking such a blase attitude when asked at the post-fight press conference:
"For me, winning the title is just like a dream. It's something I want to do so bad but it's just something I feel like is going to come to me if I just keep doing what I'm doing. If I keep doing what I'm supposed to do, it will come. So I just don't feel like I have to beg or try to ask for it. If I just keep putting on good performances, it will come. ... I'm not really one to cry about things. I'm just excited to be in the position I'm in. I've worked real hard. If another fight was a good opportunity for me then I would take it. I'm not really trying to wait forever, so we'll see what happens."
With UFC President Dana White not in attendance, it's harder to know whether or not Swanson is "in the mix" and whether or not "we'll see" about his getting a title shot against the winner of the Aldo vs. Chad Mendes bout scheduled for UFC 176 on Aug. 2 in Los Angeles.
Stay tuned!
For complete UFC Fight Night 44 results and blow-by-blow coverage of all the night's action click here.