Cub Swanson outstruck the hard-headed Artem Lobov for five rounds tonight at UFC Fight Night 108 to earn a unanimous decision victory.
Round One:
The featherweight main event of the evening is underway in Nashville.
Swanson with a leg kick that Lobov attempts to catch. Now a quick kick to the body from Swanson. Lobov into the clinch and manages to work Swanson to the cage.
Lobov unexpectedly lands a takedown. He doesn’t do much with the advantageous position though and Swanson works back to his feet.
Left hand for Swanson. Now a couple of leg kicks. Lobov with a leg kick of his own. Body punch for Swanson. Now a body kick.
leg kicks for Swanson. Body kick for Lobov. Another couple of leg kicks for him. Right hand for Swanson. Side kick to the body for Lobov.
Hard body punch from Swanson. Two leg kicks for Lobov. Left hand counter for Lobov and a leg kick.
Oblique kick for Swanson. Body punch for Lobov. Good right hand for Swanson. Winging punch from lobov misses. Uppercut doesn’t find a home for him either, but he does score with a kick.
Lobov does land the uppercut now. Swanson with a head kick that doesn’t land hard enough to trouble Lobov.
Round Two:
Quick flurry from Lobov to start the second round. Kick upstairs from Swanson gets his opponent’s attention. Leg kick for Lobov.
Left hand gets through for Lobov. Body kick for Swanson now. Left hand counter from Lobov. Another left for him.
Into the clinch now and both looking for knees to the body and leg as they jockey for position. Lobov tries for a trip takedown, but Swanson keeps his balance.
Lobov continually trying to get Swanson down, but so far it’s not happening, and then after a brief lull it’s Swanson who sweeps Lobov to the mat.
Swanson in the middle of the Octagon here and manages to move into full mount and then takes Lobov’s back. He starts to land a few punches to the head, but he’s hoping to sink in a rear-naked choke.
Only 30 seconds to go in the round though. Lobov stands up with Swanson still on his back, but Swanson lets go and goes back to striking.
Swanson connecting with a couple of punches now in the final seconds of the round.
Round Three:
The two fighters exchange leg kicks. Left hands for Lobov and then an uppercut. Nice left hook counter from Swanson.
Lobov again tries to land and gets caught with that counter left again. Oblique kick for Swanson. Quick right hand from Swanson and then a push kick.
Lobov with a nice left hand. Another left for him. Swanson leads with an elbow and works to the clinch. He moves to the cage, but Lobov breaks free.
Lobov with a few punches and Swanson gets the left hook counter again. Now Swanson is getting loose and hurts Lobov with a series of punches that leaves his opponent with a cut to the eyelid.
Now a spinning kick to the head from Swanson that wobbles him slightly, but he stays upright and threatens with a left hand.
Ref opts to stop the fight momentarily to get the doctor to check on Lobov’s cut, but he’s ok to continue.
They exchange in close and Swanson just grazes Lobov with an overhand. Swanson with an eye-catching kick upstairs and he gestures to the crowd afterwards, clearly enjoying himself.
Huge right hand lands for Swanson, but Lobov eats it. Now a kick. Lobov with a left hand, but he eats a big punch soon after.
Cartwheel kick from Swanson and it lands, but Lobov catches it and manages to get a takedown against the cage as the round ends.
Round Four:
Swanson with oblique kicks to the knee. Lobov with strikes and lands a nice uppercut before moving into the clinch against the cage.
Swanson gets out of that. Right hand for Swanson and a counter hook lands from Lobov in return. Body punch for Swanson. Left hand lands for Lobov.
Into the clinch they go in the center of the cage. Lobov tries for the knee tap, but it doesn’t pay off this time. Beautiful spinning elbow from Swanson lands clean and knocks Lobov backwards.
He’s got a good chin though and the fight continues. Swanson still playing a patient game though. Lobov lands a hard punch to the head and Swanson retaliates with a heavy body shot.
Both men happy to trade heavy blows here in the fourth round. Lobov tries for a takedown, but it doesn’t pay off and they briefly hang out in the clinch before breaking apart.
Lobov wades in with strikes, but Swanson clocks him with a straight right down the pipe that definitely hurt Lobov.
Swanson with a couple of crisp strikes and Lobov lands with a winging left. Clinch and a nice knee to the head landed by Lobov. Spinning kick misses for Swanson.
Round Five:
Greg Jackson told Swanson to KO Lobov in this final round – let’s see if he can do it.
Body kick for Lobov. He gets a glancing right hand. And another. Body puunch for Swanson. A light body kick for him and a hard leg kick for Lobov.
Swanson knocked off-balance to the mat just for a split-second. Swanson into the clinch against the cage. A few knees to the thigh from there before Lobov breaks free.
Left hook lands for Swanson. Now a right. Again he catches a right hook as Lobov comes in. A few more punches land for Swanson then it’s back into the clinch against the cage.
Lobov tries for a takedown, but it doesn’t pay off and they break apart. Body kick for Swanson and a left hook for Lobov.
Lobov charging into a takedown attempt, but Swanson stuffs it and he settles for the clinch instead.
Two minutes of the fight remaining. Swanson works his way out of the clinch. left and a right hand land for Swanson and Lobov looked slightly wobbled by that, but he doesn’t capitalize.
Hard kick, but Lobov is tough enough to take it. Short right hand for Swanson. Beautiful judo throw from Swanson and he takes Lobov’s back on the mat.
Lobov able to stand though and they both trade blows in the final seconds of the round, with Swanson getting the better of it.
Decision:
Lobov proved to have a stout chin tonight and certainly made a fight of it, but he was outclassed in the striking battle from start to finish by Swanson and he wins by unanimous decision (49-46 x2, 50-45).
