<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Jake Hager Archives - Cageside Press</title>
	<atom:link href="https://cagesidepress.com/tag/jake-hager/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link></link>
	<description>Cageside Press - Everything MMA!</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Sun, 21 Nov 2021 21:28:33 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en-US</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>
	hourly	</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>
	1	</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.5</generator>

<image>
	<url>https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/cropped-cagesidepress512-3-32x32.png</url>
	<title>Jake Hager Archives - Cageside Press</title>
	<link></link>
	<width>32</width>
	<height>32</height>
</image> 
	<item>
		<title>A Grappling Bout Between Jon Jones and AEW Star Jake Hager? Not So Fast</title>
		<link>https://cagesidepress.com/2021/11/21/grappling-bout-jon-jones-aew-star-jake-hager-not-fast/</link>
					<comments>https://cagesidepress.com/2021/11/21/grappling-bout-jon-jones-aew-star-jake-hager-not-fast/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jay Anderson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 21 Nov 2021 21:28:33 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Bellator MMA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MMA News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Other]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AEW]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jake Hager]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jon Jones]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://cagesidepress.com/?p=119549</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The MMA world has been laser-focused on Jon Jones&#8217; next move for the better part of two years now. The former UFC light heavyweight champ vacated his title in August of 2020, having last defended it at the start of that year. From that point onward, fans awaited Jones&#8217; arrival in the heavyweight division, potentially [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2021/11/21/grappling-bout-jon-jones-aew-star-jake-hager-not-fast/" data-wpel-link="internal">A Grappling Bout Between Jon Jones and AEW Star Jake Hager? Not So Fast</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The MMA world has been laser-focused on Jon Jones&#8217; next move for the better part of two years now.</p>
<p>The former UFC light heavyweight champ vacated his title in August of 2020, having last defended it at the start of that year. From that point onward, fans awaited Jones&#8217; arrival in the heavyweight division, potentially in a massive fight with Francis Ngannou.</p>
<p>And waited. And waited&#8230; you get the picture. More often than not, the biggest Jones news has been outside the cage, in the form of various legal troubles, including a domestic violence incident following his Hall of Fame induction earlier this year.</p>
<p>Then, on Saturday, Jones took to social media to announce that he would compete in a grappling match against former WWE star and current AEW pro wrestler Jake Hager.</p>
<p>&#8220;Breaking News!! I’m excited to announce I’ll be competing for the number one grappling organization in the world, Fury Grappling! December 9th I’ll be in New Jersey competing against WWE superstar and undefeated Bellator heavyweight Jack Swagger,&#8221; Jones wrote in a since-deleted Twitter post, referring to Hager, a Bellator MMA heavyweight, by his old WWE stage name.</p>
<p>Well, not so fast. Hager, a 3-0 heavyweight (plus a no contest) in the Bellator cage is a decorated NCAA wrestler from his collegiate days. While his inexperience in fighting would make any live fight with Jones a slaughter, a grappling match between the two would be interesting — and give us some idea of how Jones will handle competing against much bigger opponents.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s just one problem: despite Fury Grappling apparently confirming the match to <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2021/11/20/22793417/jon-jones-announces-fury-professional-grappling-bout-against-bellators-jake-hager-for-dec-9" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">MMA Fighting</a>, Hager took to social media to announce no deal had been made.</p>
<p>While Jones is known as a frequent &#8220;tweet and delete&#8221; offender, Hager&#8217;s statement remains online. &#8220;First of all it&#8217;s AEW on TNT and undefeated Bellator MMA heavyweight Jake Hager, secondly no terms have been discussed or contract signed. We can talk if terms are right,&#8221; wrote Hager, directly replying to Jones&#8217; since-deleted tweet.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">First of all it’s <a href="https://twitter.com/AEWonTNT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">@AEWonTNT</a> and undefeated <a href="https://twitter.com/BellatorMMA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">@BellatorMMA</a> heavyweight Jake Hager, secondly no terms have been discussed or contract signed. We can talk if terms are right. <a href="https://t.co/6ScRt0gNmj" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">https://t.co/6ScRt0gNmj</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Jake Hager (@RealJakeHager) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealJakeHager/status/1462172675460243467?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">November 20, 2021</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The strangest part of this very 2021 story is that Jones needs the match — or one like it — more than Hager. AEW is the biggest thing in professional wrestling at the moment, and Hager is part of their &#8220;Inner Circle&#8221; faction, who just completed a feud with American Top Team members including Junior Dos Santos and Andrei Arlovski.</p>
<p>Jones, meanwhile, hasn&#8217;t fought in close to two years, and would probably like the news to be about his athletic career for a change.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2021/11/21/grappling-bout-jon-jones-aew-star-jake-hager-not-fast/" data-wpel-link="internal">A Grappling Bout Between Jon Jones and AEW Star Jake Hager? Not So Fast</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://cagesidepress.com/2021/11/21/grappling-bout-jon-jones-aew-star-jake-hager-not-fast/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Jorge Masvidal &#8220;Askrens&#8221; Chris Jericho on AEW Rampage</title>
		<link>https://cagesidepress.com/2021/09/24/jorge-masvidal-askrens-chris-jericho-aew-rampage/</link>
					<comments>https://cagesidepress.com/2021/09/24/jorge-masvidal-askrens-chris-jericho-aew-rampage/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jay Anderson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 25 Sep 2021 03:39:14 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[MMA News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Other]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AEW]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chris Jericho]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jake Hager]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jorge Masvidal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Junior Dos Santos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paige VanZant]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://cagesidepress.com/?p=113687</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>MMA and pro wrestling have a long, complicated history that tends to divide fans. That history continued Friday, with members of American Top Team &#8220;invading&#8221; AEW Rampage. In an episode technically filmed Wednesday at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York, the &#8220;Men of the Year&#8221; (Scorpio Skye and Ethan Page) defeated Chris Jericho and [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2021/09/24/jorge-masvidal-askrens-chris-jericho-aew-rampage/" data-wpel-link="internal">Jorge Masvidal &#8220;Askrens&#8221; Chris Jericho on AEW Rampage</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>MMA and pro wrestling have a long, complicated history that tends to divide fans. That history continued Friday, with members of American Top Team &#8220;invading&#8221; AEW Rampage.</p>
<p>In an episode technically filmed Wednesday at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York, the &#8220;Men of the Year&#8221; (Scorpio Skye and Ethan Page) defeated Chris Jericho and Jake Hager — coincidentally the #10 ranked Bellator MMA heavyweight — in tag team action.</p>
<p>Over the past several weeks, ATT owner Dan Lambert, a noted pro wrestling aficionado, has been serving as the mouth piece for Skye and Page, occasionally bringing in some muscle from the gym with him.</p>
<p>In a post-match segment Friday, Lambert brought out pretty much the whole damn gym. That included everyone from former UFC heavyweight champs Junior Dos Santos and Andrei Arlovski, to Bellator&#8217;s Dalton Rosta and Austin Vanderford, plus wife Paige VanZant.</p>
<p>But it was Jorge &#8220;Gamebred&#8221; Masvidal himself, one of MMA&#8217;s larger than life characters, who stole the show for the MMA fighters.</p>
<p>After VanZant softened Jericho up with some body shots, she signaled for Masvidal to break out the flying knee — and he happily obliged. The end result was a bloodied Jericho lying prone on the mat alongside Hager. Masvidal basically Askren&#8217;d Jericho (and yes, that&#8217;s a verb now).</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="et" dir="ltr">MASVIDAL HAS JUST ASKREN&#39;ED CHRIS JERICHO <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AEWRampage?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">#AEWRampage</a> <a href="https://t.co/9fGhnsfLK2" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">pic.twitter.com/9fGhnsfLK2</a></p>
<p>&mdash; AEW on TV (@AEWonTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/AEWonTV/status/1441600439074443270?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">September 25, 2021</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>While fans will debate the merits of having legitimate athletes partaking in predetermined showcases, fighters like Hager, an NCAA Division I All-American in collegiate wrestling, have shown that it&#8217;s possible to do both. And the exposure for American Top Team&#8217;s biggest stars is significant: AEW shows have routinely been cracking one million viewers for TNT. Their Wednesday night Dynamite show recently toppled WWE&#8217;s NXT, forcing that program to move to Tuesdays.</p>
<p>Lambert recently told <a href="https://www.cagesideseats.com/2021/9/18/22680421/dan-lambert-ufc-jorge-masvidal-junior-dos-santos-video-mma-news" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">Cageside Seats</a> that if any of his fighters make the jump to professional wrestling, it might just be Dos Santos or Arlovski. Although an insanely over-the-top cage match between The Lucha Bros and The Young Bucks may have slowed their roll.</p>
<p>“Up until that tag match I would have said Junior dos Santos cause he’s going to these and watching and he’s like, ‘Man this is great. I would love to do that.’ And then every time I see him at the gym he says, ‘Hey, when are you going back to that wrestling stuff? I want to go with you.’</p>
<p>“But like I said, he looked down from the rafters and was having second thoughts on that,” Lambert continued. “But I think I’ll stick with him or maybe even Arlovski. I think they would both like to get into it. They’re both big, strong guys. Maybe Arlovski’s a little scarier looking and he’d probably end up being the heel and I think JDS would be the perpetual babyface.”</p>
<p>The ATT crew and Hager weren&#8217;t the only mixed martial artists in the ring at AEW Rampage: the aforementioned Scorpio Skye has a 2-1 pro record in the cage.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2021/09/24/jorge-masvidal-askrens-chris-jericho-aew-rampage/" data-wpel-link="internal">Jorge Masvidal &#8220;Askrens&#8221; Chris Jericho on AEW Rampage</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://cagesidepress.com/2021/09/24/jorge-masvidal-askrens-chris-jericho-aew-rampage/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Bellator 250: Mousasi vs. Lima Photo Highlights</title>
		<link>https://cagesidepress.com/2020/10/30/bellator-250-mousasi-vs-lima-photo-highlights/</link>
					<comments>https://cagesidepress.com/2020/10/30/bellator-250-mousasi-vs-lima-photo-highlights/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Staff]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2020 16:50:11 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Bellator MMA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gallery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bellator 250]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Douglas Lima]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gegard Mousasi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jake Hager]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://cagesidepress.com/?p=85269</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Gegard Mousasi left limping. Jake Hager left wounded. But both men left Bellator 250 victorious. Mousasi reclaimed the promotion&#8217;s middleweight title in the evening&#8217;s main event. It was a dominant performance for the now two-time Bellator MMA champ, who pretty decisively won four of five rounds. But the fifth and final frame saw welterweight champ [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2020/10/30/bellator-250-mousasi-vs-lima-photo-highlights/" data-wpel-link="internal">Bellator 250: Mousasi vs. Lima Photo Highlights</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Gegard Mousasi left limping. Jake Hager left wounded. But both men left Bellator 250 victorious.</p>
<p>Mousasi reclaimed the promotion&#8217;s middleweight title in the evening&#8217;s main event. It was a dominant performance for the now two-time Bellator MMA champ, who pretty decisively won four of five rounds. But the fifth and final frame saw welterweight champ Douglas Lima turn up the heat. And the damage incurred from round after round of leg kicks piled up on Mousasi. After the fight, he suggested he might be on crutches by the following day.</p>
<p>Jake Hager&#8217;s legs survived, but in a plodding yet still violent heavyweight clash on the preliminary card, the pro wrestler known for his AEW fame found himself busted up by undefeated opponent Brandon Calton. A former NFL player, Calton tagged Hager several times. But the wrestler (a Division I standout in the NCAA) survived, and proved he could take a punch. It wasn&#8217;t pretty. Hager was unable to land a single takedown. He did enough on the feet to come away with a split decision win, however.</p>
<p>Bouts featuring Veta Ortega (against Desiree &#8220;Dirty Dez&#8221; Yanez) and Nick Newell (opposite Zach Zane) were scratched due to positive COVID-19 tests.</p>
<p>Full results and highlights from Bellator 250 are below!</p>
<h3>Bellator 250: Mousasi vs. Lima Results</h3>
<p><strong>Main Card</strong></p>
<p>Gegard Mousasi defeated Douglas Lima by unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46) &#8211; <em>for the vacant Bellator MMA middleweight championship</em><br />
Henry Corrales defeated Brandon Girtz by split decision (30-27, 27-30, 30-27)<br />
Dalton Rosta defeated Ty Gwerder by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)</p>
<p><strong>Preliminary Card</strong></p>
<p>Jake Hager defeated Brandon Calton by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)<br />
Sabah Homasi defeated Bobby Voelker by knockout (punches), Round 2, 0:20<br />
Johnny Eblen defeated Taylor Johnson by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)<br />
Adam Borics defeated Erick Sanchez by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)<br />
Cody Law defeated Orlando Ortega by submission (D&#8217;Arce Choke), Round 1, 2:41</p>
	                <ul class="easy-image-gallery thumbnails-37 linked">
                    <li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Borics-vs-Sanchez-01.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Adam Borics Erick Sanchez, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Adam Borics Erick Sanchez, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Borics-vs-Sanchez-01-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Rosta-vs-Gwerder-03.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Dalton Rosta, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Dalton Rosta, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Rosta-vs-Gwerder-03-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="Dalton Rosta Bellator MMA" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Rosta-vs-Gwerder-02.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Dalton Rosta vs Ty Gwerder, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Dalton Rosta vs Ty Gwerder, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Rosta-vs-Gwerder-02-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="Dalton Rosta and Ty Gwerder, Bellator 250" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Rosta-vs-Gwerder-01.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Dalton Rosta vs Ty Gwerder, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Dalton Rosta vs Ty Gwerder, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Rosta-vs-Gwerder-01-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Mousasi-vs-Lima-07.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Gegard Mousasi and Scott Coker, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Gegard Mousasi and Scott Coker, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Mousasi-vs-Lima-07-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="Gegard Mousasi and Scott Coker, Bellator 250" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Mousasi-vs-Lima-06.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Scott Coker (center), Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Scott Coker (center), Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Mousasi-vs-Lima-06-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Mousasi-vs-Lima-05.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Douglas Lima vs. Gegard Mousasi, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Douglas Lima vs. Gegard Mousasi, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Mousasi-vs-Lima-05-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="Douglas Lima Bellator MMA" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Mousasi-vs-Lima-04.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Douglas Lima vs. Gegard Mousasi, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Douglas Lima vs. Gegard Mousasi, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Mousasi-vs-Lima-04-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="Douglas Lima Bellator MMA" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Mousasi-vs-Lima-03.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Douglas Lima vs. Gegard Mousasi, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Douglas Lima vs. Gegard Mousasi, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Mousasi-vs-Lima-03-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="Douglas Lima Bellator MMA" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Mousasi-vs-Lima-02.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Douglas Lima vs. Gegard Mousasi, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Douglas Lima vs. Gegard Mousasi, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Mousasi-vs-Lima-02-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="Gegard Mousasi Bellator MMA" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Mousasi-vs-Lima-01.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Gegard Mousasi, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Gegard Mousasi, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Mousasi-vs-Lima-01-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="Gegard Mousasi, Bellator 250" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Law-vs-Ortega-03.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Cody Law vs Orland Ortega, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Cody Law vs Orland Ortega, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Law-vs-Ortega-03-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Law-vs-Ortega-02.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Cody Law vs Orland Ortega, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Cody Law vs Orland Ortega, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Law-vs-Ortega-02-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="Cody Law Bellator MMA" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Law-vs-Ortega-01.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Cody Law vs Orland Ortega, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Cody Law vs Orland Ortega, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Law-vs-Ortega-01-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Homasi-vs-Voelker-06.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Sabah Homasi vs Bobby Voelker, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Sabah Homasi vs Bobby Voelker, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Homasi-vs-Voelker-06-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="Sabah Homasi Bellator 257" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Homasi-vs-Voelker-05.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Sabah Homasi vs Bobby Voelker, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Sabah Homasi vs Bobby Voelker, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Homasi-vs-Voelker-05-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Homasi-vs-Voelker-04.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Sabah Homasi vs Bobby Voelker, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Sabah Homasi vs Bobby Voelker, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Homasi-vs-Voelker-04-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Homasi-vs-Voelker-03.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Sabah Homasi vs Bobby Voelker, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Sabah Homasi vs Bobby Voelker, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Homasi-vs-Voelker-03-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="Sabah Homasi vs Bobby Voelker, Bellator 250" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Homasi-vs-Voelker-02.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Sabah Homasi vs Bobby Voelker, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Sabah Homasi vs Bobby Voelker, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Homasi-vs-Voelker-02-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Homasi-vs-Voelker-01.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Sabah Homasi vs Bobby Voelker, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Sabah Homasi vs Bobby Voelker, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Homasi-vs-Voelker-01-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Eblen-vs-Johnson-02.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Johnny Eblen, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Johnny Eblen, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Eblen-vs-Johnson-02-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="Johnny Eblen Bellator MMA" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Eblen-vs-Johnson-01.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Johnny Eblen vs Taylor Johnson, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Johnny Eblen vs Taylor Johnson, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Eblen-vs-Johnson-01-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="Johnny Eblen Bellator MMA" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Corrales-vs-Girtz-05.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Henry Corrales, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Henry Corrales, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Corrales-vs-Girtz-05-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Corrales-vs-Girtz-04.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Brandon Girtz, Bellator 250 Credit; Bellator MMA" data-caption="Brandon Girtz, Bellator 250 Credit; Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Corrales-vs-Girtz-04-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Corrales-vs-Girtz-03.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Henry Corrales, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Henry Corrales, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Corrales-vs-Girtz-03-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="Henry Corrales, Bellator 250" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Corrales-vs-Girtz-02.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Henry Corrales vs Brandon Girtz, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Henry Corrales vs Brandon Girtz, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Corrales-vs-Girtz-02-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Corrales-vs-Girtz-01.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Henry Corrales vs Brandon Girtz, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Henry Corrales vs Brandon Girtz, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Corrales-vs-Girtz-01-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Calton-vs-Hager-08.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Jake Hager, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Jake Hager, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Calton-vs-Hager-08-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Calton-vs-Hager-07.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Jake Hager, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Jake Hager, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Calton-vs-Hager-07-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="Jake Hager, Bellator 250" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Calton-vs-Hager-06.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Jake Hager vs Brandon Calton, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Jake Hager vs Brandon Calton, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Calton-vs-Hager-06-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="Jake Hager, Bellator MMA" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Calton-vs-Hager-05.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Jake Hager, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Jake Hager, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Calton-vs-Hager-05-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Calton-vs-Hager-04.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Jake Hager, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Jake Hager, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Calton-vs-Hager-04-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Calton-vs-Hager-03.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Jake Hager vs Brandon Calton, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Jake Hager vs Brandon Calton, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Calton-vs-Hager-03-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Calton-vs-Hager-02.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Jake Hager vs Brandon Calton, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Jake Hager vs Brandon Calton, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Calton-vs-Hager-02-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Calton-vs-Hager-01.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Jake Hager, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Jake Hager, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Calton-vs-Hager-01-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Borics-vs-Sanchez-03-1.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Adam Borics, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Adam Borics, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Borics-vs-Sanchez-03-1-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" /></a></li><li><a rel="prettyPhoto[group-812]" href="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Borics-vs-Sanchez-02.jpg" class="eig-popup" title="Adam Borics Erick Sanchez, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" data-caption="Adam Borics Erick Sanchez, Bellator 250 Credit: Bellator MMA" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal"><i class="icon-view"></i><span class="overlay"></span><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bellator-250-Borics-vs-Sanchez-02-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="Adam Borics Bellator MMA" /></a></li></ul>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2020/10/30/bellator-250-mousasi-vs-lima-photo-highlights/" data-wpel-link="internal">Bellator 250: Mousasi vs. Lima Photo Highlights</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://cagesidepress.com/2020/10/30/bellator-250-mousasi-vs-lima-photo-highlights/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Bellator 250: Mousasi vs. Lima Preliminary Card Live Stream and Results</title>
		<link>https://cagesidepress.com/2020/10/29/bellator-250-mousasi-vs-lima-preliminary-card-live-stream-and-results/</link>
					<comments>https://cagesidepress.com/2020/10/29/bellator-250-mousasi-vs-lima-preliminary-card-live-stream-and-results/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Staff]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Oct 2020 19:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Bellator MMA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Results & Recaps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Adam Borics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bellator 250]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bobby Voelker]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dalton Rosta]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Erick Sanchez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jake Hager]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nick Newell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sabah Homasi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ty Gwerder]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://cagesidepress.com/?p=85075</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Bellator 250 goes down Thursday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. And as undercards go, it looks to be a fun one. Names like Adam Borics, AEW star Jake Hager, Nick Newell, and UFC veteran Bobby Voelker pepper the preliminary card. The only downside is that the promising debut of bantamweight Jared [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2020/10/29/bellator-250-mousasi-vs-lima-preliminary-card-live-stream-and-results/" data-wpel-link="internal">Bellator 250: Mousasi vs. Lima Preliminary Card Live Stream and Results</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Bellator 250 goes down Thursday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. And as undercards go, it looks to be a fun one.</p>
<p>Names like Adam Borics, AEW star Jake Hager, Nick Newell, and UFC veteran Bobby Voelker pepper the preliminary card. The only downside is that the promising debut of bantamweight Jared Scoggins, a Cage Fury FC champ, was derailed when opponent Toby Misech missed weight by a country mile.</p>
<p>Still, it&#8217;s hard to argue against the number of fun fights ready to go down on Thursday. As much as Hager&#8217;s MMA experiment has been a mixed bag, the University of Oklahoma wrestler appears to have learned from a bit of a sloppy performance resulting in a no contest (low blow) in his last fight. Saying that it needs to be &#8220;controlled chaos&#8221; in the cage, he&#8217;ll look to earn his third win against David Calton, like Hager himself an undefeated 2-0 fighter.</p>
<p>Nick Newell will attempt to bounce back from a close loss in his last fight, and earn his second Bellator win against Zach Zane. That fight was originally scheduled for March, but cancelled by the pandemic. Borics, meanwhile, goes up against Combate Americas alum Erick Sanchez, while Voelker meets Sabah Homasi.</p>
<p><em>The Bellator 250 live stream (preliminary card only) is available above. Results can be found below. The action kicks off at 6:00PM ET.</em></p>
<h3>Bellator 250: Mousasi vs. Lima Preliminary Card Results</h3>
<p>Jake Hager def. Brandon Calton by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)<br />
Sabah Homasi def. Bobby Voelker by knockout, Round 2, 0:20<br />
Johnny Eblen def. Taylor Johnson by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)<br />
Adam Borics def. Erick Sanchez by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)<br />
Cody Law def. Orlando Ortega by submission (D&#8217;arce choke), Round 1, 2:41<br />
<del datetime="2020-10-29T22:37:37+00:00">Nick Newell vs. Zachary Zane</del> <em>bout cancelled</em><br />
Dalton Rosta vs. Ty Gwerder &#8211;<em> promoted to main card</em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2020/10/29/bellator-250-mousasi-vs-lima-preliminary-card-live-stream-and-results/" data-wpel-link="internal">Bellator 250: Mousasi vs. Lima Preliminary Card Live Stream and Results</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://cagesidepress.com/2020/10/29/bellator-250-mousasi-vs-lima-preliminary-card-live-stream-and-results/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Bellator 250: Despite AEW&#8217;s Success, Jake Hager Never Doubted He Would Return to Fighting</title>
		<link>https://cagesidepress.com/2020/10/27/bellator-250-jake-hager-aews-success/</link>
					<comments>https://cagesidepress.com/2020/10/27/bellator-250-jake-hager-aews-success/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jay Anderson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2020 01:26:35 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Bellator MMA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MMA News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bellator 250]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jake Hager]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://cagesidepress.com/?p=84925</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Bellator heavyweight Jake Hager was at a very different point in his career when he signed on with the promotion. While news of the former WWE Superstar, then known as Jack Swagger, trying a new career path came in November of 2017, he wouldn&#8217;t make his MMA debut for over a year — finally stepping [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2020/10/27/bellator-250-jake-hager-aews-success/" data-wpel-link="internal">Bellator 250: Despite AEW&#8217;s Success, Jake Hager Never Doubted He Would Return to Fighting</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Bellator heavyweight Jake Hager was at a very different point in his career when he signed on with the promotion. While news of the former WWE Superstar, then known as Jack Swagger, trying a new career path came in November of 2017, he wouldn&#8217;t make his MMA debut for over a year — finally stepping into the cage in January 2019.</p>
<p>He won that fight. And the next one. Then something rather unexpected happened: Hager found perhaps an even greater level of stardom with an upstart pro wrestling promotion known as All Elite Wrestling.</p>
<p>AEW&#8217;s high-flying style and quirky humor has given the WWE something it hasn&#8217;t had in years: real competition. Hager quickly found himself booked in a faction with wrestling icon Chris Jericho — and suddenly, it felt like the sky was the limit for the University of Oklahoma All-American.</p>
<p>&#8220;This last year with AEW, I really consider like the best year of my career,&#8221; Hager told Cageside Press during the Bellator 250 media day this week. Hager&#8217;s fourth professional bout will be part of the event, which once again takes place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. &#8220;Being able to win two fights with Bellator and then sign with them. And to have the year of ratings we&#8217;ve had on TNT [where AEW Dynamite airs], it really has been special in my heart. The<a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2893160-aews-ridiculous-stadium-stampede-match-was-wrestling-at-its-chaotic-finest" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer"> Stadium Stampede</a> that we did in May, one of my favorite matches.&#8221;</p>
<p>But of course, as AEW took off, questions naturally arose about whether Hager would stick around the fight business. While fans and pundits may have asked those questions, however, Hager himself never did. &#8220;I never doubted that I would come back to to fighting. I believe right now at 38 years old, I have a unique window where I can really capitalize on something special,&#8221; the heavyweight suggested. Realistically, he would have been back in action already if he could have. &#8220;We were originally scheduled for May 9, and we were one of the first cards to be cancelled during the pandemic. Since then, we&#8217;ve been staying ready and Bellator, it never ceases to give me an opportunity.&#8221;</p>
<p>Hager noted that he signed a six fight deal when he signed on with Bellator. It seems like, at the very least, he plans to finish that out. &#8220;So there&#8217;s plenty more to go,&#8221; Hager said Tuesday. &#8220;And I&#8217;m very happy with Bellator.&#8221;</p>
<p>Things haven&#8217;t always been perfect, mind you. After two wins over low-level competition in his first two bouts, Hager hit a snag in his third. Against the more experienced Anthony Garrett last October at Bellator 231, Hager connected low with a knee, resulting in the fight being declared a no contest.</p>
<p>Asked what he learned from that bout, Hager replied by saying that &#8220;the finish alone is a big takeaway from me. This is sanctioned violence, but at the same time, it needs to be controlled. It needs to be like a controlled chaos in there.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You always need to be aware of what you&#8217;re thinking and what your body is doing,&#8221; Hager continued. &#8220;A lot of it needs to rely on instinct, to where you don&#8217;t think, and where you can just react— that way you&#8217;re ahead of it and you&#8217;re leading the charge there in the cage.&#8221; The wrestler admitted that he was &#8220;personally upset&#8221; about the low blow in the Garrett fight afterwards. &#8220;But at this point, it is what it is. Definitely lesson learned and [I&#8217;ve] definitely improved in the areas that have cost me.&#8221;</p>
<p>Hager (as Jack Swagger) was well known for his patriotic character back in the WWE. That&#8217;s an angle that is gone from his character in AEW. But he&#8217;s said in the past that he planned to have three wins in Bellator by the time Donald Trump is re-elected (should that come to pass). He&#8217;ll have the chance on Thursday, against Brandon Calton, to make that happen.</p>
<p>He also channeled a little Swagger when asked about the President. &#8220;I love Donald Trump simply because he loves America. He loves the American people,&#8221; proclaimed Hager. &#8220;He wants my children to have freedom and he wants my children&#8217;s children to have freedom. And I don&#8217;t think you could say that about who he&#8217;s running against.&#8221;</p>
<p>Whatever your political slant, Hager&#8217;s fight Thursday at Bellator 250 is likely to be more entertaining than any election.</p>
<p><em>Watch the full Bellator 250 virtual media day press scrum with Jake Hager above.</em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2020/10/27/bellator-250-jake-hager-aews-success/" data-wpel-link="internal">Bellator 250: Despite AEW&#8217;s Success, Jake Hager Never Doubted He Would Return to Fighting</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://cagesidepress.com/2020/10/27/bellator-250-jake-hager-aews-success/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>AEW Star Jake Hager Returns to the Cage at Bellator 250</title>
		<link>https://cagesidepress.com/2020/10/19/aew-star-jake-hager-returns-cage-bellator-250/</link>
					<comments>https://cagesidepress.com/2020/10/19/aew-star-jake-hager-returns-cage-bellator-250/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jay Anderson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2020 22:53:52 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Bellator MMA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MMA News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AEW]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bellator 250]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jake Hager]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://cagesidepress.com/?p=84268</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Pro wrestling&#8217;s Jake Hager (formerly Jack Swagger of WWE fame) will return to the Bellator cage later this month. Hager (2-0, 1NC), an NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at the University of Oklahoma, will face Brandon Calton (2-0) at Bellator 250 on October 29. MMA Junkie was first to report the news. Hager began his [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2020/10/19/aew-star-jake-hager-returns-cage-bellator-250/" data-wpel-link="internal">AEW Star Jake Hager Returns to the Cage at Bellator 250</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pro wrestling&#8217;s Jake Hager (formerly Jack Swagger of WWE fame) will return to the Bellator cage later this month.</p>
<p>Hager (2-0, 1NC), an NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at the University of Oklahoma, will face Brandon Calton (2-0) at Bellator 250 on October 29. <a href="https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/10/pro-wrestling-star-jake-hager-books-mma-return-for-bellator-250-on-oct-29" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">MMA Junkie</a> was first to report the news.</p>
<p>Hager began his MMA journey in 2017, following his exit from the WWE. He signed on with Bellator MMA, but did not debut until 2019, earning wins in his first two fights, against J.W. Kiser and T.J. Jones. Neither fighters offered much in the way of competition, and Hager submitted both via arm-triangle choke.</p>
<p>In his third outing, a somewhat more experienced Anthony Garrett offered Hager a bigger challenge. However, a pair of knees landing to the groin of Garrett saw the fight end in a No Contest.</p>
<p>For Brandon &#8220;Bone Crusher&#8221; Calton, MMA has been something of a late calling. The 40-year old has competed in the amateurs since at least 2013, but did not turn pro until earlier this year. Both his professional wins, under the Showcase MMA banner, have come via stoppage.</p>
<p>When he&#8217;s not moonlighting in MMA, Hager remains active in the pro wrestling world, where he is a key member of &#8220;The Inner Circle,&#8221; Chris Jericho&#8217;s heel faction in All-Elite Wrestling (AEW). The promotion, which recently celebrated the first anniversary of it&#8217;s TNT show, Dynamite, has consistently given the WWE a run for its money on Wednesday nights, where it competes against NXT in the ratings.</p>
<p>Bellator 250, which takes place on October 29 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT, is headlined by a middleweight title fight between <a href="http://cagesidepress.com/tag/gegard-mousasi" data-wpel-link="internal">Gegard Mousasi</a> and Douglas Lima. The main card will air on CBS Sports Network after online prelims. Hager vs. Calton is expected to be part of the evening&#8217;s preliminary card.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2020/10/19/aew-star-jake-hager-returns-cage-bellator-250/" data-wpel-link="internal">AEW Star Jake Hager Returns to the Cage at Bellator 250</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://cagesidepress.com/2020/10/19/aew-star-jake-hager-returns-cage-bellator-250/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Bellator 231 Results: Repeated Low Blows by Jake Hager Lead to No Contest</title>
		<link>https://cagesidepress.com/2019/10/25/bellator-231-results-hager-vs-garrett/</link>
					<comments>https://cagesidepress.com/2019/10/25/bellator-231-results-hager-vs-garrett/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jay Anderson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 Oct 2019 01:28:07 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Bellator MMA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Results & Recaps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anthony Garrett]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bellator 231]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jake Hager]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://cagesidepress.com/?p=56983</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Former WWE star and current AEW talent Jake Hager (previously Jack Swagger) hit a speed bump at Bellator 231, landing low on two occasions, leading to a No Contest. AEW&#8217;s Jake Hager, formerly Jack Swagger of WWE fame, returned to the Bellator cage on Friday. At Bellator 231, Hager was set to fight his third [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2019/10/25/bellator-231-results-hager-vs-garrett/" data-wpel-link="internal">Bellator 231 Results: Repeated Low Blows by Jake Hager Lead to No Contest</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2>Former WWE star and current AEW talent Jake Hager (previously Jack Swagger) hit a speed bump at Bellator 231, landing low on two occasions, leading to a No Contest.</h2>
<p>AEW&#8217;s Jake Hager, formerly Jack Swagger of WWE fame, returned to the Bellator cage on Friday. At Bellator 231, Hager was set to fight his third bout of 2019, and third overall as a pro, against Anthony Garrett. At 4-2 heading into the fight, Garrett was a small step up for Hager, who was a green fighter despite being a decorated amateur wrestling in college.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The one and only <a href="https://twitter.com/RealJakeHager?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">@RealJakeHager</a> is here and looks ready to do battle on his way to the Bellator cage.</p>
<p>Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bellator231?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">#Bellator231</a> LIVE on <a href="https://twitter.com/paramountnet?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">@ParamountNet</a> and simulcast on @DAZN_USA! <a href="https://t.co/KhRxOVe3Vq" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">pic.twitter.com/KhRxOVe3Vq</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) <a href="https://twitter.com/BellatorMMA/status/1187899474103939077?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">October 26, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Hager had promised fans would see a little bit more of his stand-up game against Garrett. And while he threw a punch or two, it was less than thirty seconds before he closed the distance and started looking for a takedown. Garrett then signaled a low blow, but the ref called it a knee to the thigh, and ordered the pair to carry on. Back in the open, Hager would land a jab, then clinch again, but a knee did land low this time around.</p>
<p>Garrett, bloodied, took a moment to recover, before the pair got back underway. Garrett would eat another jab then try for a takedown of his own. That failed, and Hager again connected with a knee low. Garrett went crashing face down in pain. This time, the doctor came in, not that there was much he could do. Garrett was unable to continue, and the fight was ruled a No Contest while he was still prone on the ground.</p>
<p>Afterward, Hager could be overheard complaining that he didn&#8217;t want to wait in the cage for the result to be announced. &#8220;Can I go to the back? What am I standing here for?&#8221; he questioned prior to the result being read. Green fighter or not, hopefully Hager learns from this one.</p>
<p><em><strong>Official Result: Jake Hager. vs. Anthony Garrett ends in a No Contest (groin strikes), Round 1, 1:56</strong></em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2019/10/25/bellator-231-results-hager-vs-garrett/" data-wpel-link="internal">Bellator 231 Results: Repeated Low Blows by Jake Hager Lead to No Contest</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://cagesidepress.com/2019/10/25/bellator-231-results-hager-vs-garrett/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Bellator Matchmaker: Who&#8217;s Next for Bellator 221&#8217;s Main Card Fighters?</title>
		<link>https://cagesidepress.com/2019/05/14/bellator-matchmaker-bellator-221/</link>
					<comments>https://cagesidepress.com/2019/05/14/bellator-matchmaker-bellator-221/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Davidson Baker]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 14 May 2019 14:00:49 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Bellator MMA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[A.J. McKee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AJ McKee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bellator]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bellator 221]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Douglas Lima]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jake Hager]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[James Bennett]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Michael Chandler]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Michael Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pat Curran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Patricio Freire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[T.J. Jones]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tywan Claxton]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://cagesidepress.com/?p=41046</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Following an event consumed by a controversy-ridden main event, we look ahead to what makes sense for the Bellator 221 main card fighters. Bellator 221 marked the promotion&#8217;s return to the outskirts of the Windy City (to be exact) on Saturday night, bringing a massive card to the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. In the [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2019/05/14/bellator-matchmaker-bellator-221/" data-wpel-link="internal">Bellator Matchmaker: Who&#8217;s Next for Bellator 221&#8217;s Main Card Fighters?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2>Following an event consumed by a controversy-ridden main event, we look ahead to what makes sense for the Bellator 221 main card fighters.</h2>
<p>Bellator 221 marked the promotion&#8217;s return to the outskirts of the Windy City (to be exact) on Saturday night, bringing a massive card to the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.</p>
<p>In the main event of the evening, pundits far and wide put a certain level of expectation on the fight to the extent in which we would ultimately find out who is the greatest Bellator fighter of all time. We were treated with a conclusive ending, to some degree. Many fans took exception to the stoppage that saw Patricio &#8216;Pitbull&#8217; Freire take the lightweight title from three-time titleholder Michael Chander, however that remains the reality. That being said, certain situations involved have created a somewhat easier task for the matchmaker. That is the very role I have taken upon myself today, as I give you my take on which fights make sense going forward for Bellator 221&#8217;s main card fighters.</p>
<p><strong>Patricio &#8216;Pitbull&#8217; Freire: AJ McKee in the Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix</strong></p>
<p>Patricio Freire became the second man to achieve two division supremacy on Saturday night, <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2019/05/11/bellator-221-results-chandler-vs-pitbull/" data-wpel-link="internal">finishing off Michael Chandler in just over 60 seconds</a>. Now with the younger of the two pitbull brothers a dual-champ, the waters will subsequently become murky in one of those two divisions. My guess is it&#8217;s the lightweight division, as the Featherweight grand prix is set to open for business later this year. If it&#8217;s constructed the same way as the Welterweight one is (with the exception being 16 entrants) Pitbull&#8217;s belt is on the line. McKee is the only worthy first challenger at this point in time.</p>
<p><strong>Michael Chandler: Adam Piccolotti</strong></p>
<p>Michael Chandler&#8217;s third title reign came to an abrupt ending on Saturday, as he fell to Patricio Pitbull in his first defense since reclaiming the belt from Brent Primus in December. Chandler has pretty much fought everyone you can possibly fight in the Bellator lightweight division, including Piccolotti&#8217;s last opponent, Benson Henderson. Chandler and Piccolotti are each coming off losses, and would provide a fresh matchup for this division.</p>
<p><strong>Douglas Lima: Rory MacDonald/Neiman Gracie Winner for the Bellator Welterweight Championship</strong></p>
<p>Douglas Lima arguably scored the highlight of the night, starching Michael &#8216;Venom&#8217; Page in the second frame of their welterweight grand prix encounter. Lima will face the winner of the June 14 collision between Rory MacDonald and Neiman Gracie, which takes place as a part of Bellator 222.</p>
<p><strong>Michael Page: Andrey Koreshkov</strong></p>
<p>The days in which Michael &#8216;Venom&#8217; Page crushes the cans of today is now a thing of the past. Lima&#8217;s stunning knockout of Page surely instills that sentiment at this point, as Page will surely be given matchups more suited for his overall skill level. Lima&#8217;s victim one fight prior? Former champion Andrey Koreshkov. That&#8217;s a fight I would certainly like to see.</p>
<p><strong>A.J. McKee: Patricio &#8216;Pitbull&#8217; Freire in the Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix</strong></p>
<p>A.J. McKee continues to do what he&#8217;s done to his 13 opponents prior. Kick ass, take names, and remain undefeated. McKee should undoubtedly be next for the champion, and is ready to make the leap.</p>
<p><strong>Pat Curran: Fighter in the Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix</strong></p>
<p>Former two-time champion Pat Curran was bested by the young prospect McKee on Saturday, that fight being his 18th with the promotion. Curran had his moments, and might have needed this type of test before the tournament later this year given the lengthy layoff Curran was on the heels of.</p>
<p><strong>Jake Hager: Promotional Newcomer</strong></p>
<p>Former WWE star and current MMA fighter Jake Hager continued his transition inside of the Bellator cage by getting his second tap from an arm-triangle choke in as many professional outings. Hager has stated he wants to fight twice more this year, which would ultimately make him 4-0 in his first year as a professional fighter. If my read on this situation is on target, I&#8217;m going to assume they continue to lob him some more softballs.</p>
<p><strong>T.J. Jones: Fight Outside The Promotion</strong></p>
<p>Do I really need to explain this one in depth? I&#8217;m glad that he got some exposure, and I&#8217;m happy for him given the payday he and his family will be the beneficiary of. Whatever. That&#8217;s all good and fine. But, let&#8217;s be honest. The Jack Black stuff on social media was there for a reason. He seems like a really nice dude and all, but he has no business inside of a cage with a guy that holds the 285-pound record for pins at the University of Oklahoma. That&#8217;s just how the cookie crumbles here.</p>
<p><strong>Tywan Claxton: Fighter in the Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix</strong></p>
<p>It&#8217;s time to get some of these prospects to step up to higher quality competition. That may have been what Bellator was aiming for when they gave blue-chip prospect Tywan Claxton the Wisconsin-bred James Bennett, who entering the fight had four wins all by way of finish inside of two rounds. The fight though, was rather one-sided as Claxton imposed his will and took Bennett down repeatedly and bashed him on the ground. Claxton is ready for a step up. Let&#8217;s get him in this tournament.</p>
<p><strong>James Bennett: Fight Outside The Promotion</strong></p>
<p>James Bennett was not ready for a step up in competition this big. Bennett was probably expected to do at least a little better too, given a fast-finishing track record that he had himself. It&#8217;s probably not a bad idea to let him gain some more experience before considering booking him again.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2019/05/14/bellator-matchmaker-bellator-221/" data-wpel-link="internal">Bellator Matchmaker: Who&#8217;s Next for Bellator 221&#8217;s Main Card Fighters?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://cagesidepress.com/2019/05/14/bellator-matchmaker-bellator-221/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Bellator 221: Jack Swagger Plans to Be 4-0 &#8220;By the Time Donald Trump Gets Re-elected&#8221;</title>
		<link>https://cagesidepress.com/2019/05/12/bellator-221-jack-swagger-plans-4-0-time-donald-trump-gets-reelected/</link>
					<comments>https://cagesidepress.com/2019/05/12/bellator-221-jack-swagger-plans-4-0-time-donald-trump-gets-reelected/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Straus]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 12 May 2019 13:57:35 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Bellator MMA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MMA News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bellator 221]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jack Swagger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jake Hager]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://cagesidepress.com/?p=40857</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Following a win that was fully expected of him, former WWE champion Jack Swagger (Jake Hager) addressed the controversial finish, and what comes next. Chicago, IL — Former WWE Superstar Jack Swagger was expected to win what amounted to a squash match at Bellator 221 on Saturday night in Chicago. He did just that. But [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2019/05/12/bellator-221-jack-swagger-plans-4-0-time-donald-trump-gets-reelected/" data-wpel-link="internal">Bellator 221: Jack Swagger Plans to Be 4-0 &#8220;By the Time Donald Trump Gets Re-elected&#8221;</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2>Following a win that was fully expected of him, former WWE champion Jack Swagger (Jake Hager) addressed the controversial finish, and what comes next.</h2>
<p>Chicago, IL — Former WWE Superstar Jack Swagger was expected to win what amounted to a squash match at Bellator 221 on Saturday night in Chicago. He did just that. But sometimes, it&#8217;s about how you win. And in his sophomore outing, against a fighter who many saw as a jobber being brought in to lose, Swagger did not win well.</p>
<p>That had nothing to do with technique, mind you. Swagger&#8217;s wrestling continues to be on point. He had at least basic knowledge of submissions, and he again won via arm-triangle choke in the first round. But when opponent Jones tapped, Swagger held on. When the ref tried to break them apart, Swagger held on. Ref Mike Beltran had to pry him off, and admonished the fighter afterward.</p>
<p>Swagger, real name Jake Hager, addressed the situation following the event, with reporters including Cageside Press. The late release of the choke earned him a chorus of boos in his post-fight interview, something that &#8220;really hadn&#8217;t crossed my mind,&#8221; Swagger said. &#8220;Of course you want to be loved and cherished everywhere you go, but that&#8217;s not always the case.&#8221;</p>
<p>Cherished he was not. Not in Chicago. Perhaps it&#8217;s a sign of the MMA crowd being militantly anti-pro wrestling. More likely, they saw Swagger as something of a bully for refusing to let go. It wasn&#8217;t Rousimar Phalares bad, but it was bad enough.</p>
<p>&#8220;What you saw out there tonight was real emotion,&#8221; he said of his response to the crowd, which was antagonistic as well. If this was pro wrestling, Swagger had clearly made a heel turn. &#8220;That was a genuine response. I&#8217;m out there talking about my kids, and they start to boo me.&#8221;</p>
<p>In regards to holding on to the choke, however, Swagger said it was entirely unintentional. Even if he had a reason to be salty. &#8220;TJ did great, he&#8217;s a class act,&#8221; said Swagger, but added, &#8220;he did run his mouth all week, he did taunt me on stage, publicly. Did I have every reason to go out there and try and hurt him? Yes. Was I professional all week? Yes. Did I ever taunt him or anything throughout this whole fight? No.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;This is just what happens. It wasn&#8217;t on purpose,&#8221; he stated. &#8220;I legitimately thought that was him pushing on my arm, and I had specific instruction before in the locker room, from the referee who is a very large man, who told me he will get me off him.&#8221;</p>
<p>As to Jone&#8217;s response after it was all said and done, Swagger recalled that &#8220;first he was congratulatory, then afterwards he kind of fired up again. I think he took Heath Slater&#8217;s catch phrase and said &#8216;I got kids.&#8217; I think Slater needs to get some trademark royalties for that. Then afterwards, I think it was respectful again.&#8221;</p>
<p>After the fight, <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottCoker/status/1127395316276264967" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">Scott Coker tweeted about bringing Jones back</a>. Swagger thinks the promotion should do just that. &#8220;He is very entertaining, the crowd definitely liked him. Why not bring him back?&#8221;</p>
<p>As for his own return, the former collegiate wrestler with the University of Oklahoma answered &#8220;soon. Soon. I&#8217;ll take about a week off. Don&#8217;t they have a fight at Madison Square Garden [in a] little bit? You never know.&#8221;</p>
<p>More realistically, it will be a few months. &#8220;We were three months on this one. We&#8217;re going to continue that time frame. I plan to be 4-0 by the time Donald Trump gets re-elected.&#8221;</p>
<p><em>Watch the full post-fight press scrum with Jack Swagger/Jake Hager at Bellator 221 above!</em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2019/05/12/bellator-221-jack-swagger-plans-4-0-time-donald-trump-gets-reelected/" data-wpel-link="internal">Bellator 221: Jack Swagger Plans to Be 4-0 &#8220;By the Time Donald Trump Gets Re-elected&#8221;</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://cagesidepress.com/2019/05/12/bellator-221-jack-swagger-plans-4-0-time-donald-trump-gets-reelected/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Bellator 221 Results: As Expected, Former Jack Swagger Squashes TJ Jones</title>
		<link>https://cagesidepress.com/2019/05/11/bellator-221-results-swagger-vs-jones/</link>
					<comments>https://cagesidepress.com/2019/05/11/bellator-221-results-swagger-vs-jones/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jay Anderson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 12 May 2019 02:03:33 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Bellator MMA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Results & Recaps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bellator 221]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jack Swagger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jake Hager]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TJ Jones]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://cagesidepress.com/?p=40752</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The former WWE star Jack Swagger, or Jake Hager, continued his MMA journey with a first round submission of TJ Jones at Bellator 221 on Saturday night. There are a couple of pro wrestling terms that applied to Bellator 221&#8217;s main card bout between Jack Swagger and TJ Jones. A couple key ones. Mainly, &#8220;jobber,&#8221; [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2019/05/11/bellator-221-results-swagger-vs-jones/" data-wpel-link="internal">Bellator 221 Results: As Expected, Former Jack Swagger Squashes TJ Jones</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2>The former WWE star Jack Swagger, or Jake Hager, continued his MMA journey with a first round submission of TJ Jones at Bellator 221 on Saturday night.</h2>
<p>There are a couple of pro wrestling terms that applied to Bellator 221&#8217;s main card bout between Jack Swagger and TJ Jones. A couple key ones. Mainly, &#8220;jobber,&#8221; and &#8220;squash match.&#8221; That&#8217;s certainly what it felt like heading in, at least. Swagger, a former WWE champion who was also a decorated collegiate wrestler at the University of Oklahoma, began his MMA career rather late, signing with Bellator in 2017, and making his debut earlier this year. However, a win over J.W. Kiser showed that Swagger at least had some raw talent.</p>
<p>For his second fight, Bellator opted to feed more of the same to Swagger, real name Jake Hager. TJ Jones was a 1-1 fighter in MMA as a pro, which on paper, made Swagger vs. Jones an even enough fight. But it was the pro wrestler (Swagger continues to compete in that world) who came in with all the tools necessary to dominate a fighter who was <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2019/05/10/fighting-jack-swagger-bellator-221/" data-wpel-link="internal">329lbs when he signed up for the bout</a>. Realistically, Jones was the jobber in this bout.</p>
<p>He had some fun with it at least. Jones danced on his way out, clearly reveling in the moment. When they went at it, however, the dance was over quickly. They clinched, and Jones did manage to reverse, but was soon taken down. Hager&#8217;s wrestling prowess was soon on display, as he controlled TJ Jones, then isolated an arm. Swagger wound up in side control, looking for a potential choke. He then switched back to the arm, looking for an Americana. Jones muscled out, but was on his knees with the ex-WWE star on his back. Hager landed some punches, then flattened Jones out, sinking in the arm-triangle choke. Jones quickly tapped, the ref came in to break it up, but Jake Hager was slow to release the hold, much to the displeasure of ref Mike Beltran.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">💪<a href="https://twitter.com/RealJackSwagger?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">@RealJackSwagger</a> gets the W tonight via submission.</p>
<p>Our main card continues on 📲 @DAZN_USA!<br />and <a href="https://twitter.com/SkySports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">@SkySports</a> in the 🇬🇧. <a href="https://t.co/ARQyXqoPxy" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">pic.twitter.com/ARQyXqoPxy</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) <a href="https://twitter.com/BellatorMMA/status/1127392708673273858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">May 12, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The fighters would hug it out after, but the late release will no doubt become one of the larger talking points in a fight that was basically a squash match. Post-fight, Swagger said he thought the ref was actually his opponent, then gave a questionable line about being &#8220;rock hard&#8221; from the experience. With the fans booing, Swagger yelled out &#8220;keep booing me, I don&#8217;t care!&#8221; as he finished his interview.</p>
<p><em><strong>Jake Hager def. TJ Jones by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 1, 2:36</strong></em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2019/05/11/bellator-221-results-swagger-vs-jones/" data-wpel-link="internal">Bellator 221 Results: As Expected, Former Jack Swagger Squashes TJ Jones</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://cagesidepress.com/2019/05/11/bellator-221-results-swagger-vs-jones/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
