MMA News: Jack Swagger talks Bellator debut
What's the story?
Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger has said he is ready for multiple fights this year, ahead of his debut fight at Bellator 214 next week.
In case you didn't know
Swagger, real name Jake Hager, is best known for his professional wrestling career, working for the WWE for several years.
Debuting in late 2008, Swagger captured the ECW, World Heavyweight, and United States Championships before leaving the company in 2017 for other promotions.
Before this, Swagger was an accomplished amateur wrestler, competing for the University of Oklahoma and was a 2006 Collegiate All-American.
The heart of the matter
Speaking to the New York Post, Swagger said that one of the biggest factors behind his transition from WWE to MMA was so he could re-establish himself.
It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, really. And I feel like I’ll be in the driver’s seat to be a really good pro MMA fighter and still a high-level professional wrestler because they are going to help each other across the board.
As a former WWE Superstar, Swagger said he realised there is a stigma of the 'fake' wrestler entering the MMA world, but wanted to prove people wrong.
I want to fight multiple times in 2019 for Bellator and get all the stigmas off my back.
What's next?
Swagger will have his debut fight at Bellator 214, against J.W. Kiser, who has a record of 1-1-0.
Bellator 214 will take place January 26, at The Forum, in Inglewood, California, and will air live on Paramount Network and DZAN.
The show will be headlined by Fedor Emelianenko facing Ryan Bader in the finals of the Bellator World Grand Prix for the Bellator Heavyweight World Championship