UFC 256 video: Cub Swanson returns from ACL surgery with vicious KO of Daniel Pineda

Cub Swanson earned what has to be one of the most gratifying wins of his career Saturday at UFC 256.

After taking 14 months off to recover from ACL surgery, Swanson (27-11 MMA, 12-7 UFC) made an emphatic comeback to the cage with a second-round knockout of Daniel Pineda (27-14 MMA, 4-5 UFC) in their featherweight matchup at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Pineda came out of the jump fighting strong and putting some effective aggression on Swanson. He pushed too hard and started to make mistakes, though, and the veteran Swanson capitalized as he connected on a huge shot that dropped Pineda, then landed one more for good measure to get the knockout at the 1:52 mark of Round 2.

Check out the replay below (via Twitter):

Killer @CubSwanson put the paws on Daniel Pineda. The claws are still sharp

Stream #UFC256 on ESPN+ https://t.co/WVX4zKCSVh pic.twitter.com/7ZNX9HsX7I

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 13, 2020

Following his successful return to action, Swanson was overcome with emotion. He opened up about how difficult the road back was and the importance of his victory.

“The last two days I’ve been terrified, just questioning myself,” Swanson said in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. “I kept thinking about my kids and that I’m their superhero.”