Going into this fight, most fight fans knew what they were getting. Both fighters have incredible power for their weight class and are well on their way to the top of the division. For Swanson, accuracy seemed to be the biggest asset over Stephens, while Stephens knockout power is just something to marvel.
As fight began, it was obvious both fighters were not holding back. They continued to push forward and land some great combos through the early going. The fight was a lot closer in the beginning, as Stephens was getting the best of Swanson in a few trades and, even though it was a short period of time, got the better of him on the ground too.
It was not surprise that this fight did not spend much time on the ground, as both fighters looked to trade and were hoping for that KO victory. As the fight got to the later rounds, it was clear that Swanson was taking it to the next level. In between rounds four and five, Swanson was shown in his corner thinking it was still round three, which helps explain why he went all out in the final round.
Over the course of five rounds, Swanson was able to land 111 totals strikes in comparison to Stephens’ 102. Even more importantly, Swanson was able to land 105 significant strikes versus the 89 for Stephens. Both fighters walked away with fight of the night honors but it was Swanson who came away with the unanimous decision victory (49-46, 49-46, 48-47).
It would be surprising to see anyone else get the next title shot after Mendes. Frankie Edgar is already slated to fight BJ Penn in the coming weeks and Ricardo Lamas already got his shot earlier this year. Swanson is now the fourth ranked featherweight in the UFC and should get another chance at gold next time around.
