Jake Hager has been on AEW television since the first episode of Dynamite, but he also has a legitimate MMA pedigree. In fact, Hager almost fought the legendary mixed martial artist, he claims.
Jake Hager competes in Bellator with a 3-0-1 record in MMA. Hager has not fought since Bellator 250 in October 2020, instead focusing on his professional wrestling career.
Jake Hager has previously stated that he would like to return to the cage in 2022, and had previously scheduled a fight in October of that year, but that did not materialize.
During his time at Bellator, Jake Hager did not participate in a fight against a high-profile opponent. However, he expressed his desire to face legendary martial artist Fedor Emelianenko.
Jake Hager revealed at a Monopoly event that Bellator was working on a match between him and legendary fighter Fedor Emelianenko, but it never happened.
”From the moment I arrived at Bellator, I knew it could happen. Bellator was working for that to happen. Can you imagine an American representing the United States competing against Fedor in Moscow? It's Rocky. He really felt like it was his fight. They gave it to a very deserving ranked heavyweight. That night, Fedor was on fire. He didn't look old at all. He was fast, he was strong and it was an impressive show. Maybe I was lucky they didn't choose me.I would have received it immediately”
Jake Hager announced his retirement from MMA last year, so there's no chance he'll fight again. We'll have to wait and see if AEW has any big plans for Hager, but that seems unlikely right now.
Are you disappointed that the fight didn't happen? Let us know in the comments section below.
