Exclusive with AEW star Jake Hager as he discusses in-depth his Bellator MMA win

After a year away from the cage, two-sport pro Jake Hager made a successful return to fighting.

Hager beat Brandon Calton via split decision in a heavyweight battle during Bellator MMA 250 on Oct. 29.

Hager (3-0, 1 NC) won a split decision 28-29, 29-28, 29-28 in a three-round war.

In my audio interview with Hager, he goes in-depth with his pre-fight preparation, a round-by-round description, the decision and the post-fight medical check-up.

Hager, a WWE alum, also competes for All Elite Wrestling as part of The Inner Circle with Santana, Ortiz, Sammy Guevara, MJF, Wardlow and leader Chris Jericho. AEW Dynamite is 8 p.m. Wednesdays on TNT.

Hager, 38, who lives in the Tampa area, is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma where he was an All-American in wrestling. He and his wife Catalina White have two children. Catalina has South Florida ties, graduating from Fort Lauderdale High School and the University of Buffalo.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealJakeHager

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realjakehager/

Web: http://www.bellator.com/fighters/9f4064/jake-hager

Merch: https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/mma-fighter/jake-hager.html

Bellator Socially Acceptable

Website: http://www.bellator.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BellatorMMA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BellatorMMA/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BellatorMMA

https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/10/bellator-250-results-aew-star-jake-hager-survives-brandon-calton-split-decision

https://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=21-41082280-4

AEW shows

AEW Dark is 7 p.m. Tuesdays on AEW’s YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFN4JkGP_bVhAdBsoV9xftA

AEW Dynamite is 8 p.m. Wednesdays on TNT.

My MMA and Pro Wrestling Talk on the Web and Social Media

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/fighting/

Twitter: @jimmyv3

YouTube: jim varsallone (jimmyv3 channel)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProWrestlingSouthFlorida/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WWE-WrestleMania-28-Miami-241160769255279/

This story was originally published November 16, 2020 at 12:44 AM.

Jim Varsallone

Miami Herald

305-376-3621

Jim Varsallone writes a high school sports column twice a week, featuring top performers in all varsity sports (boys and girls) in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. He also covers pro wrestling, something he’s done since his college days in the late 1980s. Now in his fifth decade of coverage, he currently follows WWE (Raw, SmackDown and NXT), AEW, Ring of Honor, TNA Impact Wrestling, MLW, WOW, NWA, and the South Florida indies, mainly CCW. He writes MMA, too -- mostly profile stories and video interviews with American Top Team and Sanford MMA fighters in South Florida. As for pro wrestling, he writes feature stories and profile pieces, updates upcoming show schedules in South Florida, photographs the action and interviews talent (audio and video) -- sharing the content here and via social media on his Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channel: jim varsallone (jimmyv3 channel). Support my work with a digital subscription