When you win four straight fights and emerge as one of the hottest contenders in your division, as Cub Swanson has, you can expect some big names to turn their attention in your direction.
Soon after an impressive win over fellow contender Dustin Poirier this past weekend at UFC on FUEL TV 7, Swanson (19-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC) learned that lesson when recent featherweight title challenger Frankie Edgar (15-4-1 MMA, 9-4-1 UFC) called for a fight with him.
Swanson, who picked up a decision victory at the Feb. 16 event in London, wasn't sure what to make of Edgar's challenge. The former lightweight champion, who recently dropped to featherweight and suffered a close loss to champ Jose Aldo at UFC 156, not only wanted Swanson, but he wanted him in a five-round non-title fight, as Ariel Helwani revealed on Tuesday's edition of "UFC Tonight."
"I took it both respectfully and disrespectfully," Swanson today told MMAjunkie.com Radio (http://www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "First, who the hell calls out anybody in a five-round fight unless it's a title fight? I found that strange. For one, I felt disrespected that he thinks I don't have the cardio to get five rounds. But then I was like OK, I feel some respect because he feels the only way he can beat me is with a decision – a long, drawn-out decision. So I found it kind of funny."
Edgar mentioned the five-round possibility because he wants the bout to headline one of the UFC's smaller UFC on FX or UFC on FUEL TV events.
But Swanson, a three-time "Fight of the Night" bonus winner with the WEC, said he thinks his next fight should be on a "major card," preferably in May or June, since he feels he's earned a prime spot on at a pay-per-view or FOX event.
Regardless, he's not going to campaign for the fight. If the UFC wants it, great. If not, Swanson doesn't see the point.
"I'd love to fight him, but at this point, I'm not in high school," he said of Edgar. "I'm not going to fall for anybody who calls me out. If the UFC feels that's the best matchup for me, I'm ready. I'm down. But if they have something else in mind, that's what I'm going to do. I've worked my butt off to get in this situation and to be able to call my own shots. So we'll see what they have to say."
Swanson, though, admits the fight makes sense. Only fellow contender Ricardo Lamas and injured Chan Sung Jung are ranked ahead of him, and Edgar certainly would give Swanson a big name on his ledger.
"I feel like it might be on the only fight for me, but if something better comes for me comes up or they have something else in mind, or they feel [Edgar] needs to win a fight before he can call out someone who has a four-fight win streak, that's that," he said. "I'm a fan of his, but as a fighter, I don't fear him or anything. I'd love to scrap with him.
"But at this point, it's about getting a title shot and things like that. If the UFC thinks that the best thing for me, cool."
Source: MMAJunkie.com