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“Fighters in general are like 1 percenters, and I feel that for myself to be so disciplined for so long is unique. One of the hardest things has been ‘What’s my motivation?’ Now having a family and things like that, I’m just a different person than I was 17 years ago,” said Swanson. “I think that’s been the biggest struggle. I enjoy training, I enjoy pushing myself, and I enjoy trying to set goals and accomplish them; I thrive on that.”
The goal that currently lies in the middle of Swanson’s crosshairs is Pineda, who returned to the UFC with a vengeance earlier this year. Pineda’s six years between UFC stints, combined with his impressive victory over Herbert Burns, impressed Swanson and he couldn’t be happier to face Pineda at UFC 256.
“The fact that he stuck around and fought in the lower organizations at a high level for a long time, he’s been in all the big promotions, and I think that speaks volumes of his character and his heart,” said Swanson before cracking a smile. “This is a fight that once I started getting my rhythm back, I will just concentrate on being me and I think that we will match up well. That’s why I’m happy with him as an opponent and I got a lot of respect for him, but I’m excited to kick his ass.”
Make sure you watch Swanson’s return this Saturday on UFC 256, which starts at 10pm ET / 7pm PT.