Cub Swanson is back.
Swanson, who tore his ACL and meniscus when taking part in the Quintet Ultra grappling competition last December, will return after a year-long layoff when he takes on Daniel Pineda at UFC 256 on Dec. 12, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. MMA Junkie received confirmation from sources close to the situation, who requested anonymity as the UFC have not officially announced the bout. Swanson and Pineda have also since confirmed the bout via their social media accounts.
Prior to his injury, Swanson (26-11 MMA, 11-7 UFC) snapped a four-fight skid with a unanimous decision win over the formerly unbeaten Kron Gracie at UFC on ESPN+ 19 in a “Fight of the Night” effort.
After a brief stint with the PFL where he scored back-to-back first-round finishes to make the tournament finals, Pineda (27-13 MMA, 4-4 UFC) was flagged for having an elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio in his system. As a result, the PFL pulled him from the $1 million featherweight title fight, his wins were overturned to no-contests and he was handed a six-month suspension.
Following his suspension, Pineda returned to the UFC in August and claimed an upset finish of Herbert Burns at UFC 252, which earned him a “Performance of the Night” bonus.
With the addition, the UFC 256 lineup now includes:
- Champ Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling – for bantamweight title
- Dwight Grant vs. Li Jingliang
- Ronaldo Souza vs. Marvin Vettori
- Angela Hill vs. Tecia Torres
- Mackenzie Dern vs. Virna Jandiroba
- Omari Akhmedov vs. TBA
- Dalcha Lungiambula vs. Karl Roberson
- Peter Barrett vs. Chase Hooper
- Billy Quarantillo vs. Gavin Tucker
- Serghei Spivac vs. Jared Vanderaa
- Daniel Pineda vs. Cub Swanson