Hungry & Bitter, Swanson Wants to Smash Roop

After nearly submitting Lamas in the first round, Swanson tapped to an arm-triangle choke in the second. It was a bitter ending, particularly after waiting a year to get back in the cage due to an injury.

“I just made one mistake,” Swanson told the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Savage Dog Show.” “I got comfortable when I shouldn’t have. That’s why it’s MMA. I came back and decided to work my butt off and make sure I don’t make another mistake. That’s why I asked for a fight right away.”

Swanson will be back in the Octagon on Saturday against George Roop at UFC on Fox 2.

“He’s got a good reach advantage on me, but I feel like I do well against tall guys,” Swanson said. “He seems to think he sees holes in my game, and that’s fine because I work the holes in my game. I know what they are and I worked them to death. I’m just going to try to beat him everywhere. I know he’s skilled. I just really think he’s just a tough guy and he’s awkward. I think that’s why he’s giving people problems, but I think where he’s awkward kind of plays into my game. I think it’s a good matchup for me.”

Roop gave highly ranked Hatsu Hioki all he could handle in October at UFC 137. He dropped a split decision, but some believe he actually deserved the win -- Swanson included.

“I thought he won that fight,” Swanson said. “That Hioki guy is a guy that I’ve thought was overrated for a long time … . I think that’s a much different fight than what I bring to the table. George Roop’s been fighting taller people. He also has to understand that I’m going to be a lot shorter than the guys he’s been fighting. I think it’s going to be just as much of a problem for him. That fight seemed to be a lot of clinching. It was a slower-paced fight than I think me and him will be.”

Roop has been complimentary of Swanson’s toughness and skill, but Swanson doesn’t like everything his opponent has been saying. He said he wants to “smash” Roop for “talking crap.” Of course, Swanson would likely have the same intention regardless of his opposition Saturday.

“I really feel that with all my injuries and ups and downs in my career, I’m just so hungry and I’m a little bit bitter,” he said. “I feel like I’ve endured a lot and I want people to feel the pain that I’ve felt and I want to break his face.”

Listen to the full interview (beginning at 53:59).