10 of the best tattoos in the UFC (Photos)

2. Cub Swanson

Cub Swanson is an OG of the fight game. His travels throughout the years up and down the UFC rankings tell a story. He has fought some of the best the UFC has had to offer and been one of the best to have ever graced the Octagon. Like Swanson’s years in the UFC, his body also tells a story. Swanson’s tattoos are some of the most notable in mixed martial arts and his unique style makes him stand out inside and outside of the cage.

Let’s begin with the front. The two palm trees are what makes Swanson who he is. Pair that with the words SoCal on top, well there you go, a southern California guy who can kick your butt. Some may not be fans of the trees sticking out from the shorts in the middle of a fistfight, but those people just don’t get it. This is the man, named Cub who will maul you like a bear.

“I thought the palm trees were cool and no one had them. You see them a lot now,” Swanson said in an interview with The Desert Sun. “I didn’t want to have conflicting tattoos,” Swanson said. “My chest and stomach were what people are going to see when I fight. So Cal, they’ll see that first and they’ll say, ‘What’s up with the palm trees?’ That will narrow it down (to where I’m from).”

The leg is the real prize in terms of tattoo work. A beautiful piece that encompasses the entire leg. He has nicknamed this leg “the leg of death” because that is the lead leg for him and being kicked by Swanson is not a pleasant experience.