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UFC Hall of Famer Retires After Scoring Jaw-Dropping Knockout at UFC 327

"Killer" was the last fighter on the UFC roster that joined the promotion from the WEC.
Drew Beaupre|
(Zuffa LLC)

A 45-fight MMA veteran and member of the UFC Hall of Fame officially hung up his gloves following an incredible victory at UFC 327.

Taking place at the Kaseya Arena in Miami, FL, UFC 327 was originally supposed to feature two title bouts before a matchup between UFC Flyweight Champion Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira was moved to UFC 328, leaving the vacant light heavyweight title fight between Jiří Procházka and Carlos Ulberg as the card's only championship offering.

There were still plenty of other major names in action in Miami, and one of the major storylines heading into the event was the fact that fan favorite Cub Swanson was stepping into the Octagon for the final time to face Nate Landwehr.

Cub Swanson Retires After First-Round TKO At UFC 327

Swanson could easily have retired following a knockout-win over Billy Quarantillo in late 2024, but fans were quick to celebrate the well-matched booking against Landwehr from the moment the bout was announced.

"Killer" had already informed fans his next fight would be his last shortly before the Landwehr fight was officially announced, and the 42-year-old entered his retirement bout as a small favorite to close out his incredible career with a victory.

Following an early feeling out period from both men, Swanson steadily began to take control of the fight and outland Landwehr as the things went on. After hurting "The Train" late in the opening round, the 42-year-old pressed his advantage until he dropped Landwehr and referee Herb Dean jumped in to stop the fight.

"Killer" Was The Last WEC Fighter On The UFC Roster

Already a veteran of 19 professional MMA fights by the time he debuted in the UFC in 2011, Swanson was one of a number of high-profile names that joined the promotion as part of the WEC merger.

Cub Swanson (red gloves) reacts after the fight against Billy Quarantillo (blue gloves) at Amalie Arena.
Cub Swanson (red gloves) reacts after the fight against Billy Quarantillo (blue gloves) at Amalie Arena. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

"Killer" dropped his UFC debut to Ricardo Lamas but rebounded with a six-fight win streak that saw him knock out four of those opponents and secure four post-fight bonuses. Following back-to-back losses to fellow UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar and future featherweight titleholder Max Holloway, Swanson put together another four-fight run of victories that included his legendary UFC 206 fight with Doo Ho Choi that's now enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame.

Cub Swanson (red gloves) fights Dooho Choi (blue gloves) during UFC 206 at Air Canada Centre.
Cub Swanson (red gloves) fights Dooho Choi (blue gloves) during UFC 206 at Air Canada Centre. | Tom Szczerbowski-Imagn Images

The meeting with Choi also kicked off a three-fight streak of "Fight of the Night" bonuses that concluded with his submission-loss to Brian Ortega in late 2017. Undeterred by what ended up becoming a four-fight losing streak, Swanson rebounded with back-to-back wins over Kron Gracie and Daniel Pineda and went on to alternate wins and losses before closing out his career with wins over Quarantillo and Landwehr.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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