Cub Swanson breaks down reasons for drop to bantamweight – including inspiration from a former opponent

Cub Swanson has been hitting his mark on the scale for featherweight for more than 16 years.

Friday, he’s got a new challenge at bantamweight. Swanson (28-12 MMA, 13-8 UFC), who will turn 39 early next month, takes on Jonathan Martinez (16-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) at 135 pounds in the UFC Fight Night 212 co-main event Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Given Swanson never has missed weight in nearly 30 featherweight bouts in the UFC and WEC before that, he said the new challenge at bantamweight is meant to reinvigorate him.

“Honestly, I was inspired by (Jose) Aldo – he looked so great when he did it,” Swanson told longtime MMA broadcaster Ron Kruck earlier this week for SuperBook.com. “I felt like me and him had such similar body types when we fought a long time ago. You’ve got to ask yourself, moving up (or) moving down, how’s your body going to react to that?

“And I just feel like me getting faster seemed like a good idea because speed is something I’ve had, and I’ve always felt like I’ve gotten a little outmuscled at ’45. I never felt like I was physically stronger than anyone I fought. Guys just seem to be getting bigger, and I feel like I’ve gotten a little smaller because I’ve been better about what I eat overall. Being an older fighter now, I’ve been trying to not cut (weight) like crazy. My cuts to ’45 have just gotten too easy, and I was able to be part-time dad, part-time fighter and balance it. I was like, ‘You know, if I’m really trying to get the best out of myself, I need a new challenge. I need to suffer a little bit.’ I really felt like that.”

Check out Swanson’s full interview with Kruck in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 212.