Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The McGregor Factor & Nashville’s First UFC Record
3. Quick Stats
4. Main Event: Swanson Dominates Lobov Over 5 Rounds
5. Iaquinta’s Beachgate, Von Flue Choke, Perry & The Card
6. Full Results
7. Bonuses & Awards
8. Records & Milestones
9. Legacy & Impact
10. FAQ
Introduction
UFC Fight Night 108: Swanson vs. Lobov took place on Saturday, April 22, 2017 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee — broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 to 745,000 average viewers (831k peak, 400k FS2 prelims). The card drew 10,144 fans, setting the UFC-Nashville live-gate record. The main event was a five-round featherweight bout between Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov, one of the most discussed individual fight bookings of the 2017 UFC calendar.
Swanson won by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45), controlling rounds two through five after a competitive opening round. Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov earned Fight of the Night for an entertaining five-round battle. Mike Perry earned Performance of the Night for his standing elbow KO of Jake Ellenberger. Brandon Moreno earned the other Performance of the Night. Al Iaquinta’s first-round KO of Diego Sanchez was the card’s most emphatic individual finish, but Iaquinta was ineligible for a bonus due to his non-attendance at a UFC Fighter Summit.
The McGregor Factor & Nashville’s First UFC Record
Artem Lobov’s main event booking was one of the most discussed scheduling decisions of 2017. Lobov’s UFC record of 2-2 at the time of booking was not typically the profile of a UFC main event fighter at featherweight. His place on the card was widely attributed to his close friendship with Conor McGregor and his use of social media trash talk to generate public attention for a potential matchup. Lobov trained at SBG Ireland with McGregor under John Kavanagh. His ranking and competitive profile would not have justified the main event slot on their own merits.
The Nashville card was originally intended to headline with Demian Maia vs. Jorge Masvidal as a welterweight fight, before that bout was moved to UFC 211 in Dallas in May. The resulting main event reshuffle produced Swanson vs. Lobov as the headline. Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena is one of the larger Fight Night venues by capacity, and the 10,144 attendance set the market record. The card featured 13 fights across three tiers: early prelims on UFC Fight Pass, four prelims on Fox Sports 2, and six main card fights on Fox Sports 1.
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, April 22, 2017 (Nashville’s UFC live-gate record; originally to headline with Maia vs. Masvidal)
📍 Venue: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
👥 Attendance: 10,144 (UFC-Nashville live-gate record)
📺 Broadcast: Fox Sports 1 — 745,000 avg. viewers (831k peak, 400k FS2 prelims)
🏆 Main Event: Cub Swanson vs. Artem Lobov — Featherweight (5 rounds; Lobov booked via McGregor association and trash talk; Swanson on 3-fight win streak incl. FotY candidate vs. Doo Ho Choi)
✅ Result: Swanson def. Lobov via UD (49-46, 49-46, 50-45) (FotN $50k each; Swanson landed 209 significant strikes; broke hand for 10th time; Lobov had competitive R1 and R5 moments)
Main Event: Swanson Dominates Lobov Over 5 Rounds
Lobov’s game plan for round one produced an unexpectedly competitive opening. He secured a takedown early, landed a series of left hands including a counter that temporarily affected Swanson’s equilibrium, and kept the fight closer than the pre-fight odds suggested. Multiple media scorers gave Lobov the first round. The opening three minutes validated the concern of anyone who had dismissed the contest: Lobov’s durability and willingness to throw were real.
Swanson’s superior output and diverse striking catalogue took over from round two. He landed head kicks, cartwheel kicks, left hooks, and right hands with consistent accuracy. Lobov’s left eyelid was cut in round three, causing a brief doctor’s inspection. In round five, Lobov briefly dropped Swanson with a multi-punch combination, temporarily reversing the momentum. Swanson responded with a takedown and ground control that sealed the scorecard. He landed 209 significant strikes across five rounds — and subsequently revealed he had broken his hand for the tenth time in his career during the contest.
Iaquinta’s Beachgate, Von Flue Choke, Perry & The Card
Al Iaquinta’s first-round KO of Diego Sanchez at 1:38 of round one was the card’s most decisive individual finish. Iaquinta had not competed in the UFC in over a year, his career having been interrupted by extended USADA-related contract negotiations and a highly publicised Fighter Summit incident. Iaquinta had claimed illness as the reason for missing the UFC’s Fighter Summit; social media posts subsequently showed him at a beach during the same period. The UFC suspended Iaquinta’s bonus eligibility for three events as a result. Despite his R1 KO of Sanchez, Iaquinta received no additional financial bonus.
Ovince Saint Preux’ Von Flue choke of Marcos Rogerio de Lima was a rare LHW submission: Lima had missed the LHW limit by four pounds, coming in at 210 lb, and was fined 30% of his purse which went to OSP. The Von Flue choke — applied from the guillotine defence position when an opponent attempts a guillotine — is one of the rarest submission techniques in MMA; this was OSP’s second of four career Von Flue chokes. Mike Perry’s KO of Jake Ellenberger combined a left hook knockdown with a standing elbow from the clinch to finish at 1:05 of round two.
Full Results
Main Card (Fox Sports 1)
Cub Swanson def. Artem Lobov — Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45) — FW (5 rounds; FotN $50k each; Swanson 209 sig strikes; broke hand for 10th time; Lobov had competitive R1 and brief R5 momentum)
Al Iaquinta def. Diego Sanchez — KO (punches) — R1, 1:38 — LW (INELIGIBLE FOR PoN; missed Fighter Summit citing illness; photographed at beach on social media; Iaquinta suspended bonus eligibility 3 events)
Ovince Saint Preux def. Marcos Rogerio de Lima — Submission (Von Flue choke) — R2, 2:11 — LHW catchweight (Lima missed weight by 4 lbs; fined 30% to OSP; OSP’s 2nd of 4 career Von Flue chokes)
John Dodson def. Eddie Wineland — Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) — BW
Stevie Ray def. Joe Lauzon — Majority Decision (29-27, 28-27, 28-28) — LW
Mike Perry def. Jake Ellenberger — KO (standing elbow from clinch) — R2, 1:05 — WW (PoN $50k; dropped Ellenberger with left hook; standing elbow from clinch finished)
Preliminary & Early Prelim Card
Thales Leites def. Sam Alvey — Unanimous Decision — MW
Brandon Moreno def. Dustin Ortiz — Flyweight (PoN $50k; Moreno early FW career)
Scott Holtzman def. Michael McBride — LW
D. Taylor def. Jessica Penne — Women’s SBW
Blake Barberena def. Joe Proctor — WW
Hector Sandoval def. Matt Schnell — Flyweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Fight of the Night: Cub Swanson + Artem Lobov — $50,000 each
🥇 Performance of the Night: Mike Perry + Brandon Moreno — $50,000 each
⚠️ Note: Al Iaquinta was INELIGIBLE for PoN despite R1 KO of Sanchez (Beachgate penalty; 3-event bonus suspension).
Records & Milestones
• OSP’s 2nd of 4 career UFC Von Flue choke submissions — one of the rarest repeated submission techniques in UFC history.
• Swanson landed 209 significant strikes across 5 rounds while breaking his hand for the 10th time.
• Nashville UFC live-gate record at 10,144 attendance.
Legacy & Impact
Artem Lobov’s Nashville fight was one of the sport’s most commercially discussed individual bookings of 2017. His proximity to Conor McGregor gave him a commercial platform that his 2-2 UFC record would not independently justify. After Nashville, Lobov fought once more in the UFC before being released. His career post-UFC produced a notorious parking lot altercation with Khabib Nurmagomedov before UFC 223 in April 2018 — an incident that directly contributed to the events of the Khabib bus confrontation with the McGregor team. Mike Perry’s standing elbow KO of Ellenberger launched the ‘Platinum’ persona that made him one of the UFC WW division’s most prominent personalities through 2022.
Brandon Moreno’s Nashville PoN was a 2017 flyweight result that preceded his eventual UFC FW championship: he won the UFC Flyweight Championship at UFC 256 in December 2020, defeating Deiveson Figueiredo by submission. His Nashville appearance was his 6th UFC fight — step six of a trajectory that produced the title. Al Iaquinta’s Beachgate penalty highlighted the UFC’s approach to fighter conduct obligations: bonus eligibility was used as a disciplinary mechanism rather than suspension from competition itself.
FAQ
How did Lobov get the main event slot?
Lobov’s main event booking reflected the UFC’s periodic use of social media notoriety as a commercial justification for fight bookings. His public trash talk targeting Swanson, combined with his close association with Conor McGregor — the UFC’s most commercially valuable fighter at the time — gave him a media profile that attracted interest. The original main event (Maia vs. Masvidal) had been moved to UFC 211, creating a vacancy that Lobov’s booking filled. His 2-2 UFC record was an unusual foundation for a five-round headlining fight.
What exactly was the Iaquinta Beachgate incident?
The UFC required fighters to attend a Fighter Summit — a company meeting for contracted athletes. Iaquinta submitted documentation claiming illness as the reason for his non-attendance. Social media posts from the same period showed Iaquinta at a beach, which the UFC interpreted as contradicting his illness claim. The UFC suspended Iaquinta’s bonus eligibility for three events as a disciplinary response. His R1 KO of Diego Sanchez — which would typically have earned a Performance of the Night — produced no additional financial reward. The incident was one of the UFC’s most discussed individual bonus suspensions of 2017.
What is the Von Flue choke and why is it rare?
The Von Flue choke is applied when an opponent attempts a guillotine choke from the bottom position. As the top fighter postures out of the guillotine, they can apply pressure to the side of the opponent’s neck using their own shoulder and arm position. The choke works by compressing the carotid artery rather than restricting the airway. It is rare because the opponent must first attempt a guillotine, giving the top fighter the opportunity to counter. Most guillotine attempts do not result in Von Flue choke opportunities; successful executions require specific positioning awareness and timing. OSP’s four career UFC Von Flue chokes are the most by any fighter in UFC history.
What was Brandon Moreno’s career trajectory at this point?
Moreno was a 23-year-old Mexican flyweight who had debuted in the UFC in December 2016 at UFC 207 in Las Vegas. The Nashville fight was his second UFC appearance and his second consecutive UFC win. His PoN against Ortiz established him as a FW bonus earner early in his career. His subsequent trajectory produced a win streak, a UFC release, a second UFC signing, and ultimately the UFC Flyweight Championship at UFC 256 in December 2020 when he submitted Deiveson Figueiredo in round three.
Why did Maia vs. Masvidal get moved from Nashville?
The Maia vs. Masvidal welterweight fight was initially targeted as the Nashville main event. The UFC ultimately moved it to UFC 211 in Dallas on May 13, 2017, preferring the larger commercial context of a PPV card for a fight involving two ranked WW contenders. The late reshuffling left Nashville without a competitive main event that reflected the card’s original weight class and ranking context. Swanson vs. Lobov filled the slot with a different commercial appeal: a recognisable McGregor training partner and a genuine top-ten FW in Swanson.
How significant was Stevie Ray’s win over Joe Lauzon?
Ray was a 25-year-old Scottish lightweight from Glasgow who had gone 4-0 in the UFC before Nashville. His majority decision over Lauzon — a UFC LW veteran with 13 UFC finishes — was the most significant win of his early UFC career. Lauzon’s durability and submission threat made him a credible test for any LW ranked below the top ten. Ray’s subsequent UFC career produced additional wins before a loss to Paul Felder at UFC Fight Night 127 in February 2018 tempered his trajectory.