“It’s really hard to explain,” said Swanson of the challenges of having the championship carrot dangled in front of you, always out of reach.
“You want something so bad and it may come and it may not, you can go crazy doing all of that.
“The reality of it is that you’ve just got to stay focused and worry about winning and putting on exciting fights. That’s the meat of it and that’s what you have to focus on and what I’ve been able to capture again.”
“I’ve been around forever, he’s been around forever, so we’re both just looking for a win,” he said of his UFC Fight Night 92 pairing with Kawajiri, who had gone 3-2 since arriving in the UFC following a lengthy career in Japan.
“It’s a great matchup and it just makes sense for right now. I’m honoured to add his name to the list of people I’ve fought and I want it to be in the win column.”
“It’s my 30th fight – it’s kind of a milestone,” he laughed. “Going from being a kid in Tijuana losing his first fight, it’s huge to see where I’m at right now. It makes me proud.
“When you’re getting blinded by trying to get that belt, you don’t really realize where you came from, what you’ve accomplished so far and I’ve really been able to focus in on that and be proud of myself for what I’ve done and what I know I can continue to do. Having that focus is a lot better for me.”