A former World Heavyweight Champion in pro wrestling, Jake Hager — who some know as Jack Swagger, is making the move to MMA.
If you thought there was bad blood, or that Hager was one of those ex-WWE guys who avoided all of his old colleagues, you’d be wrong.
At Bellator 214 on January 26, Hager will make his MMA debut against JW Kiser. When he spoke with FightfulMMA.com’s James Lynch for an exclusive interview this week, he revealed that he’ll have some WWE Superstars showing him love.
“I think there will be some WWE guys at the event, and I think R-Truth, Ron Killings will be performing at the event for me. You’re just going to have to tune in and find out!,” said Hager.
While Hager is happy to have the support of his pro wrestling friends, he admits that after a dozen years in pro wrestling, his body was beaten up. To his surprise, the intense training of MMA blew his division I wrestling training out of the water and has made him more flexible and in less chronic pain.
“The way I’m focusing is that this is life moving forward. No easy opponents. I want multiple fights in 2019,” said Hager.
Despite this, Hager has still been a visible figure in pro wrestling, specifically gaining high profile matches in Lucha Underground, MLW and NWA.
In the full interview with James Lynch, Jake Hager (aka Jack Swagger) talks about his MMA debut Jan. 26 against JW Kiser (1-1) at Bellator 214 on Jan. 26.
