UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Swanson

Frankie Edgar (16-4-1) vs. Cub Swanson (21-5)

Cub Swanson and Frankie Edgar will headline UFC Fight Night in Austin on Saturday night in a five-round featherweight bout.

Edgar comes into this match with two straight wins, including a dominating victory against BJ Penn in his last fight. In that July 6 bout, he defeated Penn in a third-round knockout after completely dominating the fight with a 90-13 advantage in significant strikes and a 3-0 takedown advantage. Edgar has only four losses in his career, and they have all been by way of unanimous decision, and all against top-notch competition. His defeats are to Benson Henderson (twice), Grayson Maynard and Jose Aldo. Edgar is a tremendous competitor, who is extremely quick and vicious with his striking. His opponent, Cub Swanson, will not be easy to defeat, as he is coming into this match with a lot of confidence. Swanson has won six straight fights, with his most recent victory coming against Jeremy Stephens at UFC Fight Night on June 28. Both fighters come in on winning streaks, but in the end, EDGAR is simply too good, and will get the victory.

"The Answer" Edgar has 16 victories in his career entering this fight, with nine of those wins coming by decision. He also has four victories by knockout and three by submission. Edgar is a great athlete who is in terrific shape, and he will look to take this fight to the mat. Edgar has a takedown average of 2.58, while Swanson has an average of 1.71. Swanson is more accurate with his takedown average though at 56%, compared to only 37% for Edgar). To be successful in this fight, Edgar will have to use his speed and quickness. He is the more conditioned athlete of the two, and the longer this fight goes, the bigger the advantage Edgar will have. However, if this turns into a brawl style of fight, then Swanson has a great chance to get the win.

Swanson has 21 victories in his career, with 11 of them coming by way of knockout. He also has six wins by decision and four by submission. The two are very close when it comes to striking (3.50 strikes landed per minute for Edgar, and 3.42 for Swanson). However, when Swanson starts to throw his punches, he is looking to end the match very quickly. While he enters this match on a six-fight winning streak, he has not yet faced a fighter of the caliber of Edgar. If he is able to come out and establish his game plan early, he has a chance to get this win. However, if he starts slowly and waits to get going in the second or third round, things will be difficult for him to win.