Popular featherweight opts out of retirement and faces ‘The Train’ at UFC 327 in Miami

Cub Swanson isn’t ready to call it a career just yet.The 42-year-old featherweight veteran will face former M-1 Global champion Nate Landwehr at UFC 327. Multiple media outlets confirmed the 145-pound matchup after Swanson announced the fight via social media.

UFC 327 takes place on April 11 at the Kaseya Center in Miami and is already expected to feature a number of notable fights such as Azamat Murzaakanov vs. Paulo Costa at light heavyweight; Dominick Reyes vs. Johnny Walker at light heavyweight and Tatiana Suarez vs. Lupita Godinez at strawweight. No headliner has yet been announced for the card, which will air in its entirety on Paramount+.Swanson last appeared at UFC on ESPN 63 in December 2024, when he defeated Billy Quarantillo via third-round knockout in Tampa, Florida. After the fight, the WEC veteran revealed that he told his wife that “this might be the last one” as he looked forward to coaching and paying more attention to his children.

Another chapter to write

“That could definitely be a storybook ending, so it’ll have to be something exciting to get me motivated,” he said at the post-fight press conference that evening.Swanson has remained competitive in the later stages of his career, alternating wins and losses inside the Octagon over seven appearances since 2020. Although he never captured a title, Swanson was once a top contender in the UFC, winning six straight fights from 2012 to 2014. His 2016 win over Doo Ho Choi was enshrined in the “Fight Wing” of the UFC Hall of Fame, and he has also defeated the likes of Charles. Oliveira, Dustin Poirier, Jeremy Stephens, Tatsuya Kawaijri and Darren Elkins, among others.

Known as ‘The Train’, Landwehr has built a reputation as an all-action fighter while compiling a 5-5 record inside the Octagon. The Clarksville, Tennessee native has lost three of his last four UFC fights and is coming off a third-round KO loss to Morgan Charriere at UFC on ESPN 70 last July.