Hacran Dias ‘Comfortable’ Facing Elite Fighters Like UFC on Fox 19 Foe Cub Swanson

Hacran Dias has not traveled an easy road since he arrived in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and his appearance at UFC on Fox 19 this Saturday in Tampa, Florida, will be no different. There, the Brazilian will face Cub Swanson in a featured featherweight pairing.

“I feel really comfortable in that position,” Dias told Sherdog.com. “I’ve had long, tough battles in the UFC. I’ve fought a total of one hour and 15 minutes in that Octagon and always given my best. When the UFC gives me tougher opponents, I feel like they expect something more out of me. It shows they trust me and know my potential. I’ve done my part to prove I deserve it, and I hope I can prove myself by finishing my fight with Cub before the third round.”

Dias has gone 3-2 in five UFC appearances, with wins over Iuri Alcantara, Darren Elkins and Levan Makashvili offset by losses to Nik Lentz and Ricardo Lamas. All five of those fights have gone the distance. Swanson has the Brazilian’s undivided attention, despite entering the cage on the heels of consecutive defeats to Frankie Edgar and Max Holloway.

“Swanson is definitely one of the toughest fighters in the division,” Dias said. “He lost to two guys at the top of the weight class. Those defeats mean he’s going to be hungrier to win. He’s really dangerous and likes to brawl. I trained a lot of boxing and wrestling to prey on his mistakes.”

Dias remains close with Nova Uniao teammate and former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, who lived with him for a time in the Santo Amaro slum before reaching the top of the sport. According to Dias, Aldo continues to train hard for his rematch with Edgar at UFC 200 on July 9.

“Aldo already defeated Edgar once,” Dias said. “He doesn’t have the game to beat Aldo, who just needs to do his homework to win again. I have no doubt that he will get his belt from Conor McGregor right after. He’s the best in that division. His numbers speak for themselves.”

Dias has no interest in ever facing Aldo.

“Me and Aldo are like brothers. We lived in the same house,” he said. “If I had to face him for the belt, I’d be glad to move up to the lightweight division.”

Leonardo Fabri contributed to this story.