UFC Ottawa’s Cub Swanson Open To Competing In Zuffa Boxing

If presented with the opportunity, UFC featherweight contender Cub Swanson would be “100 percent” open to competing under Zuffa Boxing.

When Swanson’s UFC contract expired following his loss to Brian Ortega in December 2017, he was pondering entering the boxing world.

So much so that he even went to UFC president Dana White with the idea and had an opponent in mind as well.

“100%, if I was given the opportunity,” Swanson told MMA Junkie radio (via MMA News). “When I was a free agent, it was something that I talked to Dana about, I brought up.

“I told him, ‘hey, you know, I’d be open to fight…you see [Jose] Aldo training boxing. He wants to box. I’d be open to box him.’ And he just told me, ‘that’s funny, I’d rather just watch you guys fight MMA.’ And I was like, ‘well, I’d love to do that, too, but I think a lot of people would be interested in that.'”

Boxing In The Future?

In the end, Swanson signed a new UFC deal.

However, he doesn’t completely rule out a boxing match in the future, especially with White planning his moves soon.

“But I almost switched to boxing a couple times just because I really enjoy it,” Swanson continued. “As a mixed martial artist, you want to try all the different disciplines.

“The main reason I didn’t is because I knew I’d have to kind of start over. And if I was in an opportunity to do something like Conor [McGregor] did…if I was gonna make more money doing my first boxing match, then I’d be like, let’s do it…and especially under Dana White’s boxing series. I’d love to help show that MMA guys can box, too. So it’s something that would be fun.”

But first, Swanson will have to focus on his UFC Ottawa opponent this weekend as he takes on rising contender Shane Burgos.