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More than a year after announcing his signing with the Viacom-owned mixed martial arts fed, Jake Hager (better known to WWE fans as Jack Swagger, and Lucha Underground ones as Jake Strong) has a date and an opponent for his Bellator debut.
On the Jan. 26, 2019 card in Los Angeles headlined by the legendary Fedor Emelianenko facing Ryan Bader in the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight Tournament, Hager will make his professional MMA debut against JW Kiser.
Kiser is a 41 year old heavyweight with an 0 - 1 pro record (and 1 - 3 as an amateur), so it appears Bellator president Scott Coker & team dug deep to find an opponent the former University of Oklahoma All-American wrestler can hopefully hang with on his first trip inside a Bellator cage. The 36 year old Hager told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani he plans to start a full-time camp for his first fight after an indie pro wrestling appearance this weekend.
Will Jake be more Bobby Lashley or CM Punk? Will he carry his Lucha Underground title to the cage? Find out on Paramount Network when Bellator 214 airs next year, or right here at Cageside Seats.