Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger recently spoke with The Tampa Bay Times to promote his upcoming Bellator MMA debut on January 26. Swagger will face John Kisner, who has a record of 1-1-0. The full interview is at this link and below are highlights:

Being OK with the naysayers saying Bellator signed him for his celebrity status, as well as his athleticism:

"One of the best pieces of advice I ever got in professional wrestling was use the exposure from cable's number one rated television show to transition and move on to what you want to go into next."

Having no regrets about asking for his WWE release in 2017:

"I didn't realize how much I missed the competition until I started training again. It has reignited a lot of passion in me. I'm loving it."

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Bellator's Scott Coker was also interviewed for the piece and he insisted Swagger was signed because he has legitimate credentials, especially from his college days.

"When you have a fighter that has the wrestling background that he has, it is something we want to explore," Coker said. "But there is nothing like entering that cage for the first time and them locking the door behind you and its just you and that other person and it is time to fight."

Source: TampaBay.com