לאס אנדזשעלעס– The full slate of bouts for Bellator’s return to the “Fabulous” Forum in Inglewood, קאַליף. אויף Jan. 26 has been completed with a five-fight main card and 11 preliminary contests.
The main event of the card will feature the Finals of the Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix, where the greatest heavyweight of all-timeפעדער עמעליאַנענקאָ (38-5, 1 נק) faces current light heavyweight champרייאַן באַדער (26-5) for the Bellator world heavyweight title. The co-main event will feature the highly touted prospectאהרן פּיקאָ (4-1) against the always-toughהענרי קאָרראַלעס (16-3) ביי פעאַטהערוועיגהט.
דערצו, professional wrestling superstarJake Hagerbegins his MMA career againstJ.W. Kiser (1-1) בייַ כעוויווייט, Juan Archuleta (21-1) סקווערז אַוועק מיטRicky Bandejas (11-1) in a battle of surging bantamweights andAdel Altamimi(7-5), a coach with Jay Glazer’s Merging Vets and Players program, will make his Bellator debut againstBrandon McMahan (5-6) in the main card opener. The prelims forבעללאַטאָר 214: פעדער ווס. Baderwill feature the anticipated MMA debut of jiu-jitsu aceאַ.דזש. Agazarm (0-0) קעגןJesse Roberts(0-0), as well as the Bellator debut of 2016 Greco-Roman Word team memberChris Gonzalez(1-0) גענומען אויףHenry Mendez(0-1) and Lyoto Machida-training partner, Weber Almeida (1-0), פאַסינגOdan Chinchilla(1-0) בייַ באַנטאַמוועיגהט.
טיקקעץ פֿאַרבעללאַטאָר 214: פעדער ווס. Baderare on sale now and can be purchased at the Forum box office, as well as Bellator.com and Ticketmaster.com. The event will be broadcast live and free on Paramount Network at 9 פּ.ם. עט / 8 פּ.ם. CT and will be simulcast live on DAZN. Preliminary action will stream on Bellator.com and globally on the Bellator Mobile App.
Completeבעללאַטאָר: פעדער ווס. BaderFight Card:
Heavyweight World Grand Prix Finals Main Event: פעדער עמעליאַנענקאָ(38-5, 1 נק) vs.רייאַן באַדער(26-5)
Featherweight Co-Main Event: אהרן פּיקאָ (4-1) vs.הענרי קאָרראַלעס (16-3)
לאס אנדזשעלעס– Bellator is pleased to announce that it has reached a multi-fight, multi-year deal withJake Hager, who was formerly known as “Jack Swagger” during his nearly nine-year run with WWE. The deal will see Hager make his MMA debut inside a Bellator cage.
Hager will compete at heavyweight and is expected to debut in 2018.
A native of Perry, אָקלאַ., Hager would go on to be a collegiate wrestler at the University of Oklahoma, where he was an All-American and set the school record for most pins at the 285-pound weight class in a single season with 30. Following graduation and a conversation with legendary pro wrestling announcer and fellow Oklahoma Sooner, Jim Ross, Hager made the transition to professional wrestling and signed with WWE.
While in WWE, Hager would go on to claim multiple coveted professional titles during his time with the organization, including the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, ECW Championship and WWE United States Championship.
After ending his run with the WWE earlier this year, Hager turned his sights toward another avenue, fully focusing on his mixed martial arts skillset and testing himself against some of the best athletes in the world.
“This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. It’s something that’s a part of me, so it makes sense. I’m very happy with the deal. I’ve felt a lot of love from Bellator,” said Hager. “I think there are certain types of guys who need to be punched in the face and taste blood. I’ve always been a fan of MMA, I’ve been wrestling since I was five-years-old. It’s awesome to be with Bellator. They’re really going to put 100 percent towards it!"
“I’m excited to see Jake Hager debut for Bellator in 2018,” Bellator President Scott Coker said. “When I heard he was seriously interested in competing in MMA and when you look at what he did at the collegiate level, I was very interested in having him on our roster. I think Jake will expose new fans to Bellator from his previous run with WWE and he will be given every opportunity to prove that he’s the real deal inside the cage.”
Hager is the latest in a long line of high-profile signings Bellator has made recently and joins a heavyweight division that will crown a champion in 2018 through the recently announced eight-man Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix.