UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Stephens

Cub Swanson (20-5) vs. Jeremy Stephens (23-9)

Cub Swanson and Jeremy Stephens are in search of a huge victory in the featherweight class when they meet on Saturday in San Antonio.

Here is the Bet DSI breakdown on Saturday's UFC Fight Night:

Swanson enters this fight against Stephens on a five-match winning streak. In his last match against Dennis Siver at UFC 162, he ended the fight with a vicious set of punches in a second-round knockout. Swanson is an explosive athlete that has shown in his young career that he can win a match in many different ways. He has emerged as a fan favorite in large part because of his ability to put on a show for the crowd. During his five straight wins, four of the victories have come by way of knockout. He will have a difficult match though, going up against a dangerous fighter in Jeremy Stephens. Like Swanson, Stephens comes into this match with a three-fight winning streak. In his last win against Darren Elkins, he showed terrific cardio by winning the match by way of unanimous decision. Both of these fighters have a big opportunity to move up the ladder in the featherweight class. Stephens is a terrific fighter, but in the end, it will not make a difference, as SWANSON will prove he is very close to a championship fight.

Of his 20 career victories, Swanson has eight wins by way of knockout. He also has seven wins by submission, as well as five wins by decision. He is extremely explosive with his punches, and has a rare combination of speed and power that very few fighters possess in the featherweight class. He has a big advantage on Stephens when it comes to landing significant strikes per minute, as he averaged 3.41, compared to only 2.69 by Stephens. The combatants are nearly identical when it comes to striking percentage (46 percent for Swanson and 45 percent for Stephens), but Swanson is much more persistent to throwing his punches. While he is a terrific striker, Stephens has shown in his career that he has the ability to knock his opponent out.

Stephens has 23 victories in his career, with 17 of those wins coming by way of knockout. He also has four wins by decision, and two by way of submission. When he is in the octagon, he is looking to end the match with his punches. This is the type of match where both guys will utilize a very similar game plan, and that could provide for a very exciting fight. Stephens does a very good job of defending against the takedown (61.4 percent). If this turns into a striking contest, Stephens will definitely feel comfortable in participating in that style of fight.