Cub Swanson took on Hakeem Dawodu in the co-main event at UFC Vegas 78 on Saturday. Swanson and Dawodu went toe-to-toe for three rounds in a battle that appeared slightly tilted in the latter's favor.
While Swanson had his moments in the opening round, 'Mean' did an excellent job of countering almost everything with leg kicks. The visuals were even better for Dawodu in the second frame as he evidently controlled the clinch positions while forcing Swanson to switch stances by battering the lead leg.
While he initiated a slugfest in the closing seconds of round 2, Swanson was the one visibly bruised while walking back to his corner. To his credit, the featherweight veteran surprisingly landed a late takedown in an otherwise closely contested round 3, likely edging out the round.
But even Cub Swanson was surprised to be on the winning side of a 29-28x3 unanimous decision. When asked whether he believed he had done enough, Swanson responded without mincing any words:
"No. I felt like I was in the moment. I was having fun, which was my plan. But yeah, I thought I took more shots. But I always beat myself up so I'll have to watch it again."
Also opening up about the harsh realities of the fight game, Swanson added while tearing up:
"As I have gotten older it's getting harder...Can’t shelter my kids man. If I’m gonna get my ass kicked, I want them here. They can see it doesn’t always go my way."
Catch Swanson's comments below:
Judges get slammed for Cub Swanson vs. Hakeem Dawodu 'robbery' decision
Cub Swanson even detailed exactly how Hakeem Dawodu foiled his leg-kicking gameplan and punished him at every attempt. The UFC Vegas 78 commentary team also acknowledged it as one of the most controversial decisions of recent times.
As expected fans didn't spare the judges in question, Sal D'Amato, who has a history of bad decisions, Ron McCarthy, son of veteran referee John McCarthy and Jacob Montalvo who was recently slammed for stopping a fight while Davy Gallon was still defending a choke from Saul Rogers at Bellator 296.
@lospolloshoodie wrote:
"Damn Hakeem looses half his fight purse cause sal d'amato is legally blind"
Catch more comments below: