Being the brother of a perennial UFC contender brings plenty of expectation to the shoulders of Steve Swanson.

Growing up and training with "Killer Cub" has certainly added dangerous weapons to Swanson's arsenal, but the up-and-coming bantamweight brings a nastiness all his own to the cage when he competes. The Palm Springs native has hovered within striking distance of joining his brother on the UFC roster for the past several years, with the only element missing from his resume being signature wins with highlight reel finishes.

And that's what Swanson aimed to change on Saturday night at California Fight League 12.



The Tru MMA representative squared off with Andrew Natividad in the main event of the card, and wasted zero time bringing the home turf-crowd to its feet with a flurry of heavy shots. Swanson dropped Natividad twice with power flurries in the opening round, but took his foot off the gas toward the end of the frame to salvage his gas tank.

Swanson came out with the same game plan in the next two rounds and stalked Natividad down at every turn. The more experienced Swanson won out on nearly every exchange throughout the three-round affair, and cruised to an easy decision victory on the judges' scorecards. And while Swanson wasn't able to pick up a devastating finish, a clearly dominant performance will still serve him well going forward.

Full Results: 

Steve Swanson def. Andrew Natividad via unanimous decision
Jesse Strader def. Roberto Hernandez via KO (punch) Rd 1
Daniel McWilliams def. Emilio Williams via TKO (doctor stoppage) Rd 1
Jesus Moreno def. Eric Steans Jr. via unanimous decision
Brandon VanCleave def. Adrian Bartee via KO Rd 1
Carlos Puente Jr. def. Donovan Wegner via TKO (doctor stoppage) Rd 2
Juan Rubio def. Kenosha Saunders via TKO (punches) Rd 1
Rich Mapstead def. Alex Campos via submission (arm triangle) Rd 1
Taylor Beneke def. Chris Rios via submission (leg triangle) Rd 1