AEW's Jake Hager Returning To MMA This Month

Hager fights for Bellator on 29 October.

by Andy H Murray
Jake Hager Bellator
Bellator

AEW wrestler Jake Hager will resume his mixed martial arts career on 29 October.

Yesterday saw MMA Junkie break the news that the heavyweight will meet the 2-0 Brandon Calton at Bellator 250, competing for the organisation for the first time since October 2019. A middleweight tilt between Gegard Mousasi and Douglas Lima headlines the show.

Hager is currently 2-0 (1) in MMA. Though he signed with Bellator in November 2017, he didn't fight until January 2019, submitting J.W. Kiser in just over two minutes. This was followed by another first-round win over T.J. Jones that May, before Hager's third (and latest) fight was thrown out following an accidental groin strike in October. None of his MMA fights have gone beyond the first round to date.

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Calton, 40, will be making his Bellator debut.

Jake has been with AEW since October 2019, debuting as part of the Inner Circle's formation at the end of Dynamite's very first episode. His first match came at Revolution four months later, where he defeated Dustin Rhodes, though he has become more of a peripheral figure since failing to take Jon Moxley's World Championship back in April.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.