UFC: Former Welterweight Contender Mike Swick Moving Back to Middleweight

Former Ultimate Fighter competitor and UFC welterweight title challenger Mike Swick seems poised to return to 185 pounds.

Swick replied to a fan's tweet to indicate he would be returning, but not at 170 pounds.

"I wanna come back at a big and healthy 185. No more sickly 170 for me! ;) @ChrisWhite209 Making that UFC return?"

Swick hasn't competed at middleweight since losing to Yushin Okami at UFC 69 in 2007. One fan was quick to bring up the size difference Swick could be facing by jumping up a weight class.

"@officialswick @ChrisWhite209 don't you think you were undersized with okami?"

"Yup. I was 182, in ring, when I fought Okami. I am 200 now. ;) @the_lunchbucket don't you think you were undersized with okami?"

It appears the stomach/throat ailments combined with age have made the cut to 170 pounds increasingly hard for the American Kickboxing Academy standout. The fact Swick was knocked out (and in brutal fashion) for the first time in his career at 170 pounds probably played a role in his decision.

Swick entered the UFC as a middleweight contender on The Ultimate Fighter and won five straight matches in the Octagon to begin his UFC career. The loss to Okami sent Swick down to 170 pounds where he racked up four-straight victories before hitting a rut in his career.

He not only missed out on the chance to challenge for the 170-pound title, Swick dropped two straight bouts and also faced some serious health problems that kept him out of action for over two years.

Swick didn't present a timetable as to when he'd be back or who he'd like to face, but it seems as though he's had enough of the tough weight cut at this point in his career.