Jake Hager (fka Jack Swagger) may have just borrowed a page out of his old pro wrestling playbook, in what can only be described as a full-blown “heel turn” following his second ever MMA victory at Bellator 221.
The former WWE world champion quickly finished fellow heavyweight T.J. Jones (1-2) with a first round submission, but failed to release the hold for multiple seconds after the referee had clearly ended the fight.
In a post-fight promo Hager was asked for an explanation, and at first attempted to explain that he thought the referee trying to get him to stop was actually his opponent struggling to escape. When the crowd booed his reaction, the All-American American took advantage by antagonizing the Chicago crowd into a frenzy.
Hager more than once told the fans that he didn’t care about their boos, stating that they weren’t in the ring with him, all-the-while keeping a wide smile on his face. In a strange moment, he even informed the crowd that he had “a boner” due to being “rock hard with emotion”.
Check out the official decision below:
💪@RealJackSwagger gets the W tonight via submission.
Our main card continues on 📲 @DAZN_USA!
and @SkySports in the 🇬🇧. pic.twitter.com/ARQyXqoPxy
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 12, 2019