He began competing at the age of five and went on to attend a high school that had multiple state wrestling titles. He swiftly rose through the ranks of amateur grappling, becoming a two-time high school heavyweight state champion. At 18 years old, he turned professional. His first career match took place in January 2007 and he competed almost every week until July 2009, when he suffered his first loss at the hands of Matt Hughes. The following month, he announced that he had signed with the UFC. Swagger's debut came at the end of September 2009 at UFC 100 in Las Vegas. He fought veteran Ken Shamrock in the main event and won by knockout just 56 seconds into the first round. This win earned him the nickname "The King of Swing-gate" from commentator Mike Goldberg. In October 2009, it was reported that Swagger had been paid $100,000 for this fight. Two months later at the end of November, he fought at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi. His opponent this time was former WEC light heavyweight champion Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal. Swagger lost the fight by submission due to a heel hook late in the third round. After this defeat, all future fights were canceled out of respect for Swagger who at this point in time had not yet reached the age of 25.