It’s been nearly three years since Jake Hager last competed in an MMA fight, and now the prospect of his return is as distant as ever.
In a virtual signing with K & S WrestleFest, Jake Hager (while wearing his trademark bucket hat!) announced his official retirement from Mixed-Martial Arts.
“Officially, I’m retired from MMA.”
“I trained hard last year, but Bellator was jerking me off. I retired and I am now just focusing on wrestling.”
No additional context was provided regarding Hager’s apparent animosity towards Bellator, the organisation that promoted all of his MMA bouts.
Jake Hager leaves Mixed Martial Arts with a record of three wins, zero losses, and one bout marked as a “no contest.”
He secured wins against J.W. Kiser in January 2019, T.J. Jones in May 2019, and Brandon Calton in October 2020, with the latter marking his final MMA appearance. All of his fights were under the Bellator banner.
His fight against Anthony Garrett in October 2019 ended in a No Contest after Jake Hager landed inadvertent groin strikes on his opponent, leading to Garrett being unable to continue.
He now puts his focus back on professional wrestling, where he is an active member of the All Elite Wrestling roster and a former member of the Jericho Appreciation Society.
Hager has since revealed the true purpose behind his short-lived MMA run, to return as an undefeated star in order to challenge Roman Reigns to a WrestleMania match!
How Many Times Has Jake Hager Competed In 2023?
Since the beginning of 2023, Jake Hager has wrestled twelve times for AEW.
Most recently, he was involved in the “Over Budget Charity Battle Royal” at All Out 2023, which was won by “Hangman” Adam Page.