Jack Swagger's time with the WWE came to a close earlier this year, and it seems now that he has made the decision to move over to the world of mixed martial arts (MMA).

Swagger is a former WWE World Heavyweight Champion, ECW Champion, and United States Champion who's stint with the company lasted through 2006 to 2017. He then took to MMA legend Chael Sonnen's podcast, You're Welcome, earlier this year to announce that he had requested his release from the company.

Two weeks later WWE officially granted Swagger his release. "The All American" felt as if he hadn't been used to his full potential, and expressed concern regarding WWE canceling his program with Zeb Colter when it was at its hottest point.

Now Swagger has been competing on the independent circuit and has become a huge advocate for wrestling fans supporting the indies. Throughout the process of his release Swagger had continuously teased a move over to the world of MMA - and earlier today (Mon. November 13, 2017) he made that move official.

Swagger joined The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani to announce that he has signed a deal to fight at heavyweight for Bellator MMA in 2018. The 35-year-old was a standout wrestler at the University of Oklahoma where he set a single-season record for most pins at 30 in the year 2006.

That year he was also an All American in the 285-pound weight class. No fight date has been set for Swagger and he has yet to choose an MMA camp, but it should be interesting to see how he handles his career moving forward.

Former WWE Champion CM Punk made the switch over to MMA several years back after signing with the UFC. He made his MMA debut last year against Mickey Gall and suffered a first round submission loss via rear-naked choke.

Despite the loss he has expressed interest in continuing to fight and even has a fight reportedly lined up for 2018, however, no official announcement has been made as of this writing.

What are your thoughts on Swagger making the career switch over to MMA? Do you think that he'll be successful in his venture? And what are your thoughts on former WWE World Champions trying their hand inside the cage? Let us know your thoughts in the matter in the comments section below!

Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: http://gms.to/writeforgms