After announcing his decision in early November that he'd be jumping to Bellator in 2018, 35-year-old former pro wrestler Jack Swagger (Jake Hager) is ready to take his next step — actually getting in the cage and throwing down.
During an interview with MMA Junkie, here's what Hager said about competing in 2018:
"I want to fight in 2018 for sure," he continued. "I almost want to fight twice. That's a bold statement, but I don't want to waste any time. I want to jump in there. I feel like I'm in good shape now. I feel like in six months, in the summertime, I'll be ready to make a statement."
Hager spent 11 years working for WWE both in its developmental territories and as a mainstay on both RAW and SmackDown prior to his release last March. During that span, he won the World Heavyweight, ECW and United States Championships and was also a Money in the Bank winner.
Hager was a standout amateur wrestler at the University of Oklahoma, where he set the school single-season record for pins with 30 in 2006 and was an All-American for the 285-pound weight class.
Hager was spotted working out with former WWE standout Batista, who has also branched out into MMA.
Batista is a four-time World Heavyweight Champion, two-time WWE Champion, Monday Night Raw Tag Team Champion and three-time World Tag Team Champion.
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