Cub Swanson penned the perfect conclusion to an incredible career on Saturday. But he’s not sure his story is over yet.

The 20-year MMA veteran shined in the co-main event of UFC Tampa, where he went head-to-head with Billy Quarantillo before ending their featherweight bout in dramatic fashion with a third-round knockout. In his post-fight interview, Swanson hinted at a possible retirement, but made no definitive statement as to whether or not he will fight again.

At the post-fight press conference that evening, he maintained the same energy when speaking to the media.

“I’ll always be tempted,” Swanson said. “We’ll see how I get well again. I have three small children who are getting a little older now and definitely want my attention more. I have a lot of fighters, my team bloodline, my guys that I manage and train, I’ve put a lot of effort into them and these last few fights have really allowed me to show them how it’s done, not just about it I was able to be there and show them by leading by example. Honestly, I’m more excited about coaching at this point. I love this sport and the great thing about being on the other side of the cage is that I don’t go home with bumps and bruises.”

“It could definitely be a fairytale ending, so it has to be something exciting to motivate me,” Swanson added.

Swanson has a lot to consider when it comes to retirement discussions. He has competed 44 times as a professional, compiling a record of 30-14 with wins over a number of notable names and losses to some of the best of all-time at 145 pounds. On Saturday, he received his eighth UFC Fight of the Night bonus, suggesting he still has a lot to offer a month after his 41st birthday.

According to Swanson, this is far from the first time he’s had to consider hanging up the gloves.

“My mother and stepmother, who are both very close to me, begged me to stop fighting in 2011 when I fractured my face, and I could have stopped then,” Swanson said. “I could have stopped at any time, but I just always felt like I had more to do. At this point I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot and I’m proud of it. Like I said, it would have to be something really exciting, so we’ll see what happens.”

When asked about the best moment of his career, he cited his UFC 206 win against Doo Ho Choi, who was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s Fight Wing in 2022. It’s a fight that’s significant for Swanson for several reasons.

“I mean, the Doo Ho Choi fight is hard to top,” Swanson said. “I have so many fights that are special for different moments. People don’t understand that in camps and in life there are so many things that happen that you have to overcome, so there are special fights for different reasons, but definitely the Doo Ho Choi fight because I had the fight of the year, that one That’s why I got inducted into the Hall of Fame, and then I found out that night that I was going to be a father, so that’s pretty hard to top.”

Swanson said he would be open to a rematch with Choi, who scored an impressive win over Nate Landwehr at UFC 310 last Saturday.

For now, all Swanson can do is celebrate his latest victory. While he knew this could potentially be the last fight of his career, as he entered the cage he did his best not to focus on what that meant in the grand scheme of things.

“I try not to put too much emphasis on it because ultimately it’s my decision and what I want to do, but the most important thing for me for this fight was just not to let myself be pressured, to put pressure on myself “To be tense and fight this war,” Swanson said. “I had a little war, but I tried to be fast and loose and paint a picture and make it beautiful and something I could be proud of, and if it was the last one, I could say, ‘Man ‘I’m happy with that.’”