By the Numbers: Cub Swanson vs. Shane Burgos

Mark RaymundoMay 03, 2019


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Scrappy veteran Cub Swanson will look to prove that he still has a lot left in the tank when he faces surging young prospect Shane Burgos at UFC Fight Night 151. Before this potential Fight of the Night candidate unfolds in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, check out the numbers that make these fighters extremely entertaining.

Height and arm reach

At 5’8”, Swanson will enter the Octagon on May 4 at a disadvantage to the 5’11” Burgos in terms of height. He will also give up a few inches of arm reach. Swanson’s arm reach is 70 inches while Burgos’ is 75.5 inches.

Octagon experience

There is a world of difference between Swanson and Burgos in terms of UFC experience. On the same day Swanson made his promotional debut on Nov. 12, 2011, Burgos was in an amateur fight at an organization called Evolution Fighting Championships. And when Burgos engaged in his maiden UFC fight on Dec. 9, 2016, Swanson was a night’s sleep away from making his 12th Octagon appearance.

But Burgos is no rookie. He has fought in the UFC five times and lost only once. Swanson has had 16 UFC fights, with a record of 10-6.

Current or former UFC champions fought

Swanson is a championship-caliber fighter who has proven that he can hang with current or former UFC champions, such as Max Holloway, Dustin Poirier, Frankie Edgar, Jose Aldo and Jens Pulver. He even defeated newly-crowned interim lightweight champion Poirier at UFC on Fuel TV 7. The much less experienced Burgos has yet to experience sharing the Octagon with current or former UFC champions. Swanson, in fact, is his toughest challenge yet.

Post-fight bonuses

It is always a treat when Swanson is in the Octagon. Proof of this is his seven post-fight bonuses. He earned Fight of the Night honors five times (versus Dennis Siver, Jeremy Stephens, Doo Ho Choi, Artem Lobov and Brian Ortega) and Knockout of the Night honors twice (versus Charles Oliveira and Ross Pearson). Moreover, he also garnered Fight of the Night awards three times at World Extreme Cagefighting.

Burgos has so far netted two Fight of the Night awards (versus Charles Rosa and Calvin Kattar). That’s impressive, especially considering he’s only had five fights in the UFC.

Striking accuracy

There isn’t much that separates the two featherweights in terms of striking accuracy inside the Octagon. After 16 UFC appearances, Swanson landed 1,225 out of the 2,453 significant strikes he threw, making for a 50 percent striking accuracy. Burgos parades a 47 percent striking accuracy, having landed 358 out of the 763 significant strikes he hurled at UFC opponents.

Career losses

Burgos only has one blemish in his professional record, and that’s a TKO loss to Calvin Kattar at UFC 220. Swanson has 10 career losses, no thanks to Shannon Gugerty, Pulver, Aldo, Chad Mendes, Ricardo Lamas, Holloway, Ortega, Renato Moicano and Edgar twice. He is also currently on a three-fight losing skid.