One of the fights in the preliminary card of UFC 303 is going to feature Cub Swanson, who will be competing against Andre Fili. It is indeed going to be a battle to decide who is the stronger Californian fighter out of the two. Swanson attracted quite a bit of attention towards him as his last performance against Hakeem Dawodu earned him a win via a unanimous decision. Boasting 29 victories, with the second most KOs in the featherweight division, tied with Conor McGregor and Chad Mendes for the spot, Swanson is indeed looking to get a win and have a two-fight winning streak.

Swanson, nicknamed ‘Killer’ has proven that he’s worthy of the moniker quite a few times inside the Octagon. But there is another story behind him taking up the name ‘Cub’. Let’s get right into it.

Swanson reveals the story behind his nickname ‘Cub’

Back in 2017, Swanson was interviewed by ‘Academy’, wherein he was asked about his first name. The Californian mixed martial artist’s real name is Kevin Luke Swanson. But his older brother, who had trouble calling him ‘Kevin’, began calling him ‘Cub’. ‘Killer’ said, “My brother couldn’t say my real name, Kevin, when he was little, so he called me Cub. That was just my name from when I was a baby on.”

The MMA fighter further revealed that he had a browner skin and chubbier body than his two brothers. This indeed resembled him as a bear cub. And so, the name stuck. He said, “It’s one of those names where you don’t even remember what your real name is because everyone always called you that.”

But that’s not his sole nickname. Back in 2012, in an interview with MMA Junkie, Swanson revealed that Greg Jackson’s camp began calling him ‘Killer Cub’. Following his victory at UFC on FX 4, the fighter claimed that he got the announcer pretty close to announcing him as ‘Killer Cub’, but the plan never came to fruition. 

Despite the dangerous monikers, the fighter is not much of a trash-talker. Let us find out what Swanson’s beliefs are for not indulging in trash talks and building up a rivalry against his opponent.

Cub Swanson reveals his thoughts on trash-talking

In the same interview, Swanson was asked about his opinion about fighters who try to make a fake grudge match just to sell fights. The UFC featherweight contender revealed that, while genuine feuds excited him, the fake ones where the fighters had the intention of pushing out their fights were bothersome for him. And then he revealed that he didn’t need to talk trash about his opponents. Swanson believes that doing so made him a better person. Furthermore, he opined that speaking in public was a moral obligation for him, and was something that he never really wanted to do.

The 40-year-old reckoned, “I don’t need trash talk. I think fighting made me a better person and I cherish that. It taught me about having goals and reaching them and that people could look up to me. Public speaking is something I never wanted to do but I took it as a moral obligation. I thought to myself, ‘Look, you were in a bad situation and you got out. It’s your obligation to show people how you did it.’”

Standing tall with his beliefs, ‘Killer Cub’ will do his best to defeat ‘Touchy’. But will Swanson be able to win against his fellow Californian fighter? Let us know what you think in the comments below.