Jake Hager Announces Retirement from MMA, Shifts Focus to Wrestling Career

In the summer of 2022, Jake Hager, who had a 3-0-1 record, revealed plans for an MMA fight scheduled for October of the same year. His most recent bout occurred at Bellator 250 in 2020, where he emerged victorious against Brandon Calton in a split decision.

During a virtual signing event with K & S WrestleFest, Hager made it clear that he is closing the chapter on his MMA career. He remarked, "Officially, I’m retired from MMA. I trained hard last year but Bellator was jerking me off and I retired and I am now just focusing on wrestling now."

Turning his attention fully to the wrestling ring, Hager aspires to emulate the career longevity of Chris Jericho. "The plan is to continue wrestling. It’s who I am. I’ve been around wrestling since five years old so, I hope I can do it as long as (Chris) Jericho’s doing it so, I just gotta keep on working, keep on getting better."

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— Ben Jordan Kerin Sep 19, 2023 04:19PM