Cub Swanson was convinced to fight at UFC 327 by late Duke Roufus: ‘It was the perfect time’

Cub Swanson will ride off into the sunset at UFC 327, and the late Duke Roufus convinced him to enter the Octagon one more time.

Swanson had been considering retirement after his third-round knockout win over Billy Quarantillo at UFC Tampa back in late 2024. Before making his final decision, Swanson sought out the opinions of two renowned coaches. One was Roufus, and the other was Ray Longo, Swanson revealed to MMAFighting.

“Yeah, I mean, it was kind of the fairy tale ending,” Swanson said. “That’s what really made me like, ‘Man, I’m really happy with this. I’m really content.‘ But I definitely, when I’m thinking about it going, ‘Man, if I could do it one more time, it’d be even more badass.‘

“And then, funny enough, I asked Ray Longo and and Duke Roufus — rest in peace — two opposing coaches that I respect and I said, ‘Hey, what do you think?’ And they both told me, ‘Cub, you look great. Why stop? You beat half of this roster, no problem.’ And so, taking their advice, I really thought about it, and because I think a lot about a lot of things in life when I’m making these decisions. I take it very seriously. So I was in the gym and I’ve been performing well and I trained with really good guys, so I know I still have it and then all of those things lined up, so it was the perfect time.”

Roufus passed away on Oct. 17, 2025. He helped train several marquee fighters including Anthony and Sergio Pettis, Tyron Woodley, Ben Askren, and many more.

When Swanson competes for the final time in his pro MMA career, he’ll be standing across from Nate
Landwehr. In his last two fights, Landwehr has been stopped. He’s in search of his first win since March 2024.

Do you think Cub Swanson gets the win in his final MMA clash on Saturday at UFC 327? Share your thoughts in the comments below.