3 Reasons why Jack Swagger will be better than CM Punk on MMA Debut

January 26th is an important date for Bellator MMA. It is the date that their first pay-per-view of the new year, Bellator 214. It is also the date that UFC 233 was scheduled to take place, however, it ended up being cancelled.

Another reason the date is important is that of the debut of a former WWE star in Bellator MMA.

Jack Swagger is a former World Heavyweight Champion in WWE, and while he was not overly successful in the company, he managed to establish a great deal of credibility there. Now, after more than a year of signing with Bellator MMA, he is finally set to make his debut on the card of Bellator 214.

His debut comes on the same card as the huge Heavyweight Grand Prix final fight between the ever-mysterious Fedor Emelianenko and the incredible Ryan Bader. The two will compete for the Heavyweight Championship title. If Bader wins, he will become the first-ever dual Bellator Champion, holding two Championships at the same time. However, this might just be Fedor Emelianenko's last chance to become a Championship, while talking about retiring in the near future.

In this article, we will talk about 3 reasons that Jack Swagger will be better than CM Punk during his MMA debut.

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#1 CM Punk's lack of Sports experience

UFC 225: Whittaker v Romero 2

While CM Punk was no doubt an amazing professional wrestler, he did not really come from a sporting background.

Jack Swagger is a two-time All American and an expert in wrestling. Recently, when he talked about sharing more traits with Brock Lesnar rather than CM Punk, it was nothing but the unmitigated truth.

Punk's training might not have been enough, but Swagger knows what it is to compete in a sport like Mixed Martial Arts. His experience might be enough to carry him over and hand him the win.

#2 Jack Swagger comes in with a rested body

Jack Swagger is far fresher than CM Punk was

While professional wrestling is looked down on a lot of the time, it is overlooked that the sport takes a huge toll on the body of the individual. The number of bumps that a wrestler has to take during the course of an ordinary match is high.

The more high profile the wrestler the worse their condition.

CM Punk left WWE when his body was absolutely beaten up after being one of the top figures of the company. He wrestled day-in and day-out, while under extreme pain and through injuries. He was suffering from multiple injuries when he was out.

Even while training for his debut fight, he suffered a herniated disc which worsened his condition.

While Jack Swagger was a top name in WWE, his wrestling style was far more grounded and he did not have to take as many bumps as CM Punk. In fact, his schedule was also lighter than Punk in many ways.

Swagger comes into this fight rested. That might be enough reason for him to be the one to pick up the win.

#3 Choice of opponent

UFC 203: Miocic v Overeem

When CM Punk was debuting in the UFC, his very first opponent in the Octagon was a fighter who already had two wins on his record. Mickey Gall had defeated his last two opponents, even getting Mike Jackson to tap out via the Rear Naked Choke, a weapon he has since used. Incidentally, that was the same move he used to take out CM Punk.

JW Kiser on the other hand, while a good fighter, is not really from the top of the heap. He has one loss in his professional record, and his amateur record is not too impressive either.

Kiser has three losses and one win in his amateur career, making for only one win in his entire MMA run. Now facing Jack Swagger at a high stakes bout, the pressure might be too much for him.

Swagger might have enough mat wrestling prowess to outdo Kiser.