Tonight (Sat. January 26, 2019) former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger will make his mixed martial arts (MMA) debut. Swagger (real name Jake Hager) will be fighting against J.W. Kiser on the main card of Bellator 214 from The Forum in Inglewood, California. Swagger will be making a flat fee of $50,000 for his fight. He now joins several former professional wrestlers who have transitioned into MMA.
Those being Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley, and CM Punk. Lesnar is a former UFC heavyweight champion who has shared the Octagon with some of the best the sport has ever seen. Lashley hasn’t taken an MMA bout since 2016, but has won eight-straight as of this writing. As for Punk, things didn’t go as well as he had hoped. Punk was finished via first-round submission in his MMA debut in 2016.
When he attempted to return this past summer, the result was slightly better, but ultimately the same. He went the distance with former Golden Gloves winner Mike Jackson, losing via lopsided unanimous decision. Now, his future with the UFC is in question.
Getting Punched In The Face
Speaking at a media scrum to promote his debut, Swagger spoke on the careers of Punk and Lesnar in the UFC. Swagger said that neither man wanted to get punched in the face:
“I’m very lucky that it’s 2019 and I don’t have to have video cassettes of all the promotions to get this,” Swagger said. “I can just go on YouTube, and see the footage, and get the film, and have the research, and get better.
“The main thing I take away from it is, you can’t be afraid to get punched in the face at camp. You see that with Brock, you see that with Punk, they didn’t want to get punched in the face. I needed it, I needed to learn how to react to it and see how my body is gonna have the instincts to react in that moment.
“That’s the main things I took from it, and at the same time, those other guys, they shied away from their pro wrestling background, where, I’m embracing it. This is who I am and, dude, I love it, ya know? What’s not to like?”
Punk issued a response to Swagger’s comments on Twitter, saying he’s rooting for his fellow former WWE star:
“You shouldn’t either. Good skill this weekend, pulling for you.”
You shouldn’t either. Good skill this weekend, pulling for you. https://t.co/QKjgbRKYd2
— player/coach (@CMPunk) January 25, 2019
What do you think about Punk’s response to Swagger’s comments about his UFC career?
H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions