Former WWE Champion Jack Swagger Set To Debut At Bellator 214

Jack Swagger, whose real name is Jake Hager, finally has a date for his much-awaited debut in mixed martial arts. The former WWE champion signed with Bellator MMA last year and was expected to compete in the heavyweight division.

But having been over a year since the announcement in November, there was no real news on when Swagger would compete with his debut later being pushed back. That was until Monday when Swagger confirmed on "Ariel Helwani's MMA Show" that he would compete on the undercard of Bellator 214 which takes place Jan. 26 in Inglewood, California.

His opponent will be J.W. Kiser (0-1), though Bellator president Scott Coker did not confirm it when he announced the news on social media.

Swagger, who was with the WWE from 2006 until 2017, will be the latest pro wrestler to make the transition to MMA after the likes of Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley and CM Punk among others.

His debut carries plenty of intrigue as the 36-year-old was an All-American wrestler at the University of Oklahoma in 2006 so he does have some pedigree. He was also notably in the same 285-pound bracket as former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez during an NCAA tournament that year.

“I’m looking to come out and show that I belong here,” Swagger told Helwani, according to Fansided. “I’m very excited about where my career can go in MMA. I believe this can take over for paying the bills while the window is still open. I think my career is going to be a lot longer than people imagine.”

Bellator 214 is headlined by the final of the heavyweight grand prix between the legendary Fedor Emelianenko and current light heavyweight champion Ryan Bader. Also on the card is middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi defending his title against Rafael Lovato Jr.

Rising prospect Aaron Pico is also featuring as he takes on Henry Corrales in what is turning out to be a very interesting and stacked Bellator card.