"I think that was a draw" - Cub Swanson gives his verdict on Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan
Cub Swanson believes that neither fighter from the recent bantamweight championship clash between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan deserved to lose. While discussing the potential of open scoring being added to UFC, 'Killer' viewed the fight as a draw, admitting he thought nobody had won the first round.
Talking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, the featherweight fighter, who turned professional in 2004, gave his thoughts on the co-main event at UFC 273:
"I think that was a draw. I don't think anyone deserved that first round. I thought it was two a piece after that."
Helwani pressed Swanson if he thought the second round was 10-8 in favor of Sterling, referring to his successful take down of Yan and 3 minutes 50 seconds of ground control time:
"There's definitely a case for it. How are you going to score if there are two rounds and one is onesided, very onesided, and the other a close round but somebody won? They shouldn't be scored the same."
Aljamain Sterling had already won the title in dubious circumstances after an illegal knee from Petr Yan prematurely ended the fight, resulting in a disqualification victory for the 'Funk Master'. The bantamweight champ had been hoping to silence his many doubters with a commanding victory over 'No Mercy', but a controversial split decision win has left fans with just as many questions as before.
Watch Cub Swanson's full interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour here:
Cub Swanson and Doo Ho Choi inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame
At UFC 273, it was announced that the fight between Cub Swanson and Doo Ho Choi would be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The two featherweights went to war at UFC 206 in December 2016. Their three-round classic, considered by many one of the best fights in history, won not only Fight of the Night but was honored with the Fight of the Year award as well.
The Greatest night of my life :) twitter.com/ufc/status/151…
Cub Swanson is one of the most popular fighters on the roster. With a record-setting eight post-fight bonuses in the featherweight division, it is not hard to see why. 'Killer' last stepped foot inside the octagon in December 2021, beating Darren Elkins by TKO in the first round which earned him yet another Performance of the Night bonus.