This Saturday night has been a long time coming for Ultimate Fighter original Mike Swick. The 14-4 welterweight hasn’t set foot inside the Octagon as a competitor in more than two years due to a ruthless run of injuries and will end the drought when he faces DaMarques Johnson on the network-bound portion of UFC on FOX 4.
The extended absence from action coupled with his health issues have left Swick eager to entertain fans while making sure to soak up the moment, knowing better than most it very well could be his final appearance in the ring.
“Obviously you’re always going to be nervous anytime you’re about to fight, but to be honest I’m excited more than anything else. You’re going out there in a position where you can lose something you want and that something for me is to get my career back, but overall my nerves are pretty low on this one. That has a lot to do with all that I’ve been through these past two years,” revealed Swick in an interview with Fighters.com. “At the time of the Paulo Thiago fight I truly felt my career was going to be over. I thought I would never fight again and to be given a second chance to get my career back and fight in the UFC is awesome.”
In 2010 Swick was diagnosed with a serious stomach condition called dyspepsia which forced him onto a strict diet limiting his ability to maintain the fitness necessary for MMA. However, it was later discovered he suffered from a different affliction and he was able to receive other treatment once again making fighting a possibility.
“I am also going in there with a body that is healthier than it has been in years,” he added. “I’m going into this fight and every fight afterwards like it’s my last one because you never know what’s going to happen to you. There’s nothing stopping me from fighting for the next four or five years, but on the flip side nothing is guaranteed either. I’m going to make sure I leave everything I have inside of the Octagon just in case it is my last fight.”
The bout between Swick-Johnson can be caught on FOX when the main card fires up at 8:00 PM EST.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
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