Watch: Cub Swanson's spectacular knockout of Daniel Pineda at UFC 256
UFC 256 proved to be a big relief to veteran Cub Swanson, who admitted to Joe Rogan that he was "terrified" beforehand. After 14 months away from the Octagon, Cub Swanson returned to face Daniel Pineda, whom he defeated with a spectacular knockout in the second round.
You can watch the KO below:
It took Cub Swanson less than two minutes in Round 2 to finish Daniel Pineda and pick up his second win in a row and the 27th victory of his professional MMA career. It was Cub Swanson's 38th professional fight and he will be happy to be in the win column for the second time in a row.
It was made better by the fact that Cub Swanson returned from a big ACL injury, for which he had to get a surgery done. That was the reason behind his 14-month layoff.
The last time Cub Swanson fought, it was against the highly-touted Kron Gracie. He defeated Gracie via unanimous decision and it was his first win after going on a four-fight losing streak.
Even in his losing streak, Cub Swanson never stopped facing top competition, fighting Frankie Edgar, Renato Moicano, and Shane Burgos after losing to Featherweight contender star Brian Ortega.
What's next for Cub Swanson?
Cub Swanson admitted that the preparation for the fight against Daniel Pineda was tougher than most, but he came out with flying colors despite a strong start from his opponent.
Given that the fight ended quickly, it wouldn't be surprising to see Cub Swanson making a quick turnaround in 2021. A ranked opponent would be suitable for the veteran, who was emotional after his victory.
There's never a boring Cub Swanson fight, and it will be interesting to see who he faces next and if he can make it three wins in a row. If he does, he will have a rank next to his name again.