Cub Swanson fought his twenty-fifth fight with the UFC tonight at UFC Tampa. The 41-year-old veteran fought Billy Quarantillo in what was a performance worth remembering. Especially after he hinted that he might’ve just hung up his gloves after this KO/TKO win over the 36-year-old fighter.

The fight was a truly back-and-forth battle between the two featherweights that had fans on the edge of their seats. However, it was Swanson who ended up landing the final knockout punch at the 1:36 mark of Round 3 that finished the fight for Billy Quarantillo. But the highlight of the night didn’t just end there for Swanson.

In the post-fight press interview with Michael Bisping, the UFC fighter hinted that his fight at the Amalie Arena might’ve been his last. Swanson claimed that he had been discussing his retirement with his wife, however, mid-speech, he then bowed out. He thanked the fans in a way that made it look like Swanson had finally retired. ‘The Killer’ said, “I kind of told my wife this would be the last one, so we’ll see. I’m kind of old, guys. I want to say I appreciate you letting a 40-year-old dad come out and entertain you.”

If this was the last of Swanson, then he would definitely be a major name making his way to the featherweight Hall of Fame of the promotion with a professional MMA record of 30-14-0. Off his 25 fights in the UFC, the veteran managed to win 15 major fights, losing only 10 in the process. So, it is no wonder that many fans felt the need to share their sadness over the legend taking his final bow.

Fans share their thoughts on Cub Swanson’s final UFC Tampa fight

As soon as the fans found out about Swanson’s retirement, they were quick to share their thoughts on it. In fact, not just fans, but even MMA fighters and pundits alike shared their well wishes with the featherweight legend. One such UFC star was Dustin Poirier, who took to X to write, “Cub is a legend.” MMA reporter and broadcaster Aaron Bronsteter also talked about how Swanson would go down in history as one of the best UFC fighters who never held a title. He wrote, “Cub Swanson never got a UFC title shot, mostly because of circumstance with Aldo scoring an 8-second KO against him in the WEC and serving as champion for much of Swanson’s prime. He’ll go down as one of the best to never get a UFC title shot.”

Many fans also shared their thoughts on the 41-year-old’s retirement. A majority of them were glad that Swanson was walking out on a high note with still a lot left in the bag; after all, it’s better to call it quits before one reaches ultimate downfall like Tony Ferguson. Taking to X, the fans wrote, “Good. Retire on a high note and pretend like he didn’t just cheat with the buff that mustache just gave  him.” “Better to retire on a KO than getting KO’d,” and “Leaving a winner🙏 great fight to go out on.”

More fans joined in as they were really impressed with the final performance of the featherweight legend. They shared, “Not a bad one to end on. Dude looked amazing tonight,” “Loved watching him. End of an era” and “That would be the performance to hang it up with. 💯”

Well, it surely looks like Swanson is going out as a fan favorite. However, it would be interesting to see if he ever decides to come back. What do you think? Is Cub Swanson retired for good? Let us know in the comments.