Cub Swanson ponders drop to bantamweight, potential Urijah Faber fight after UFC Fight Night 199

LAS VEGAS – Cub Swanson has seen and done a lot during his lengthy UFC tenure, but one thing he has yet to do is compete at bantamweight.

Following his UFC Fight Night 199 win via TKO against Darren Elkins on Saturday, Swanson (28-12 MMA, 18-11 UFC) revealed that possibility might be coming to fruition. While he’s not 100 percent sure what his next move will be, Swanson voiced interest in joining an already stacked UFC bantamweight division.

“I had talked about maybe dropping to 135, just to switch it up, try something new,” Swanson told reporters including MMA Junkie at a post-fight news conference. “I know I can make it. I don’t know how difficult it would be. This was one of the easier cuts I’ve had. I just feel like I’m naturally a little lighter than I used to be. I guess I’m just not holding on muscle like I was before. That’s a possibility.”

Swanson, 38, has competed in the UFC since 2011. He spent four years in WEC prior to that, and has competed professionally since 2004. As he nears the twilight of his career, Swanson wants to check off as many boxes as possible – including fighting back home in California.

“The one thing that I would love to do still is they’re building a big arena, a 10,000-person arena, in Palm Springs,” Swanson said. “That’ll be done by the end of the year. If I can get the UFC to have a Fight Night in Palm Springs, I’d stick around for that for sure.”

The idea is fantastical at this point, but in an ideal scenario, Swanson already knows who he would like to face in his bantamweight debut homecoming.

“Probably Urijah Faber,” Swanson said. “See who the real ‘King of Cali’ is.”