MMA-URLS

After signing a pro wrestling contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and an MMA deal with the Bellator Fighting Championships, Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal will be a busy man over the next few years.

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MMAWeekly Radio Weekend Edition returns with a stacked show for Sunday including new Bellator/TNA fighter King Mo Lawal, and UFC competitors Pat Barry and Michael Johnson. Retweet this Share on Facebook • Email • StumbleUpon • Reddit • Digg • Technorati • Instapaper • Tumblr • Google Reader • LinkedIn

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I shouldn't have been surprised when news broke Muhammed Lawal had signed with Bellator Fighting Championships. After being unceremoniously dropped from Strikeforce after testing positive for steroids and then insulting a female athletic commission member, Zuffa -- owner of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Strikeforce -- would be hard-pressed to keep "King Mo" on its roster. When I received a press release in my email inbox that announced Lawal was the newest wrestler on Total Nonstop Action's (TNA) roster, I wasn't shocked. The former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion had long indicated he was a professional wrestling fan and, according to one former WWE wrestler, Lawal actually received a tryout with the dominant wrestling promotion before opting to try his hand at mixed martial arts (MMA). What did surprise me was the revelation "King Mo" was not only going to fight for Bellator on Fridays, but you'd be able to see him wrestling the likes of Jeff Hardy, Rob Van Dam and Sting for TNA on Impact every Thursday. FIghting and wrestling simultaneously is nothing new. Across the Pacific, Don Frye, Yoshihiro Takayama, Kevin Randleman and Mark Coleman were doing just that nearly a decade ago. But, there's a chasm of difference between those men then and Lawal now. And the difference makes his newfound plan downright horrible. Frye, Takayama and Nobuhiko Takada fought and wrestled in Japan where an injection here or a pill there could help them ignore a bum ankle or an ailing shoulder. This way, they'd be able to throw haymakers or powerbomb their opponents, depending on which performance they were set to put on. Stateside, "King Mo" will not have the same luxury. While TNA's drug testing policy is a farce, it can afford to be. Professional wrestling, since being outed as a scripted show by Vince McMahon in the 1980s, doesn't have government regulations to adhere by and is left to manage and control itself. MMA promotions don't operate the same way. They are subject to athletic commissions that will issue drug tests for everything from steroids to pot. Take a Barry Bonds cocktail or enjoy a night out with Nick Diaz and you'll find yourself on the business end of positive piss test. Pro wrestling is scripted and to an extent, fake. No, they're not really punching or kicking each other, but you can't fake being dropped onto your back from 10 feet in their air. Yes, wrestlers are trained to take those kinds of "bumps" in the safest way possible, but falling down is falling down and night after night, it takes an unimaginable toll on one's body. This is exactly why so many wrestlers become addicted to pain killers. They need something to help take the edge off and get them through at least one more night. Wrestlers, like fighters, are usually never 100 percent physically and will have to perform through injuries. If you thought being a fighter is tough, being a wrestler is equally strenuous on the body. Now imagine doing both at the same time. More than this, what if Lawal suffers an injury inside the ring during an episode of Impact? He would have to drop out of whatever fights Bellator has him booked for. And conversely, any injuries "King Mo" suffers inside the cage would alter any storyline plans and matches TNA has in store for the former Strikeforce champion. There are simply too many things that could go wrong. "King Mo" might have seen a check with more zeros than he's ever seen in his life, but the damage he could do to his body in this new venture might end up not being worth it. I don't care about some what idiot will think about the legitimacy of MMA when he sees Lawal wrestling one night and then fighting the next. What I care about is a talented, young man with the gift of gab undertaking a plan that could significantly lessen the length of his career. I hope "King Mo" knows what he's in for.

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By now, you've probably heard that former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Muhammed Lawal has signed not one, but two deals, inking contracts with TNA IMPACT! wrestling, as well as with Bellator Fighting Championships, yesterday (May 10, 2012). Alongside TNA IMPACT! President Dixie Carter and Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney, "King Mo" sat down with Spike TV's "MMA Uncensored Live" to discuss the deals, as well as the events of his much publicized last year. "You know, it's been a dream. That's why. It's a great opportunity and, you know what? I'm doin' it. The thing is, one door closed, and two doors opened. So I just jumped in the two doors, you know what I'm sayin'?" Lawal went on to make the comparison between his former employers, Zuffa, and his new relationship with Bellator. His analysis wasn't particularly complimentary: "Zuffa's okay. They're alright if you like working long days ... in a hot field, asking, begging for water. But with Bellator, I'm in the A.C., sippin' cold lemonade, gettin' massages. It's a big difference. You know, I think Zuffa has a lot of people, and they just look at fighters as numbers. It's a business. They're trying to make money. But I feel like Bellator, we're a lot closer family, and the people are more personable." Lawal's new bosses went on record with their take on how the deals went down. According to Carter, she's been trying to make something like this happen for a long time, she's just never had a willing partner: "Well, I've been fairly vocal about this for the last couple of years, wanting to do something like this. I ran into resistance finding a company that saw the potential in it, quite honestly. So, when Bjorn joined the Spike team, Kevin Kay, the head of Spike, set us up in a meeting, and we clicked right away. I brought the idea to him. He loved it. So, hopefully the rest will be history." Here, Rebney was asked if he believes mixed martial arts (MMA) fans will be receptive to the dual deal, and if he feels there will be any backlash over the professional wrestling connection. He's optimistic that the two things can work hand-in-hand: "I don't think so. You know, I've been an MMA fan for years. MMA fans are very bright. They're very smart people. They hit a demo. They understand there's two different sports -- two different things going on here. There's mixed martial arts, there's Impact wrestling. They're two completely different things, and I think they can appreciate the fact that they're two different things, and I think they can appreciate the fact that Mo's a world class martial artist and will transition into becoming a world class wrestler. You look at 'em both. They're two great followings." One of the biggest obstacles Lawal has had to overcome in the past year was a positive drug test for steroids, after his win versus Lorenz Larkin at Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" in "Sin City" on Jan. 7, 2012 (which was later overturned and changed to a "No Contest"). The positive test resulted in a suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission and some pretty negative public relations for "King Mo." Carter is aware of Lawal's past troubles, but believes the future will be bright: "I heard the story, and I completely support where he's at. We drug test as well. I'm the only head of a professional wrestling organization whose gone and testified in front of congress about illegal steroid use. I feel completely confident with our testing that he'll be the most tested person in both of our sports, and he's a hundred percent fine with that." Lawal concurs: "I'm very fine with that. I've been through the strictest testing you can go through. Actually, they used to test me from 2005 up to 2009. There's random urine tests. They'd show up at my house, seven in the morning, show up at my training spot, you know, I'm an open book." Regarding his now infamous NSAC hearing and his contentious run-in with Commissioner Pat Lundvall, Lawal reiterated that he feels his comments on Twitter were a mistake, and that he feels he's closed the book on that painful chapter of his life: "Here's the thing. I said I felt like she treated me like a racist b----. The b---- part was out of line, but I just felt like, as a black male, throughout history, it's been documented that it's a touchy subject. We get questioned. Our intelligence always gets questioned, like, we couldn't coach, we're not smart enough to fly planes, we can't play quarterback. We're not intelligent enough to control stuff or teach anything. So when she asked me that question, I was kind of offended, and an hour later, I went on twitter and said what I said about it. You know, I made mistake calling her a b----. I talked with her, and I apologized to her, and she accepted it. She told me that the questioning kinda got jumbled, and it was a misunderstanding. We're cool. She's a cool woman. She's just real intense about her work." Fans may be curious as to the timeframe and schedule, regarding Lawal's two deals and the priority each will have. Carter answered those concerns, stating that "Mo" will see action with TNA IMPACT! first: "It'll be TNA first. He won't join Bellator until they go on Spike in 2013. But the most important thing is his health. Once he's healthy, then we'll make a decision on when he debuts with us. Hopefully, it'll be sooner than later, but the key thing is to get him healthy. It's all about his health though. We want to introduce him the right way, and I think today's been a great start, tonight and everything else, we're really excited." Rebney commented on what Lawal's place on the totem pole will be. According to the Bellator CEO, nothing will change and Lawal will get no preferential treatment: "Of course. He's gotta go through three fights, he's gotta win the tournament and then he's gotta face our champion, Christian M'Pumbu. So, he'll have to go there like anyone else would have to go there." Rebney went on to address the issue of Bellator signing a former Zuffa fighter, a move that could be viewed as a response to the recent Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) signing of former Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard, as well as its current courting of former Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez, who is currently still with the promotion. According to Bjorn, the two things have nothing to do with each other. He just believes Lawal was a good fit: "Not so much. You know, Mo was just the perfect fit for this alliance. You look at a guy that is a world class MMA fighter, and a guy who's got the personality, the love of wrestling, to be able to transition to the wrestling realm, this is the perfect guy. We never plant the flag in the ground and say, 'We're going to this. We're going to do that.' We develop some amazingly talented fighters under our banner. Mo's the perfect fit. When a guy like this at this level, with this kind of personality, with this kind of ability inside the cage becomes available, of course we're gonna make the move.' As the interview winded down, Lawal prognosticated on what he thinks the future will hold for him at Bellator. First and foremost, he knows he needs to adapt to what Bellator is doing with their tournament format. He's good with that and looks forward to the challenge: "I gotta work my way up. I'm new to this organization. You know, to prove that I'm the best man that's suited for the title shot, I gotta beat everybody else in the tournament, and that's what I'm gonna do." Finally, "King Mo" was asked about the possibility of becoming a champion, both as a professional wrestler for TNA IMPACT! and an MMA fighter for Bellator. He believes both are within the realm of possibility, and he issued a special message for the Bellator Light Heavyweights: "Whichever one I earn first is the most important one. I still have to pay my dues. I have to go out to Ohio Valley and work on my in-ring skills and the chain wrestling. You can't just throw somebody out there and say, 'Okay, perform. You get the belt.' You have to put in hours and days and years to perfect your craft. We'll see. I think it'll take a good year, year and a half before I get the title at Impact, but Bellator? The guys at 205? Those guys are in trouble." Only time will tell how things will ultimately play out for Lawal, but for now, it's good to be "King."

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by Alex Mattis Today, news broke that Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal has inked deals with both Bellator Fighting Championships and TNA Wrestling. While Mo made these deals separate from Spike TV, the network surely has the most to leverage from this arrangement. Things have been quiet on the Lawal front since his March 27th hearing [...]

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Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal has signed with Bellator Fighting Championships, as well as with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. The 31-year-old elite wrestler will compete simultaneously as a mixed martial artist under the Bellator banner and a professional wrestler for TNA, a crossover that suits the expressive fighter well. “This deal is a dream come true for me,” Lawal said. “Bjorn and Dixie have given me the opportunity to engage in my two great loves, mixed martial arts and professional wrestling, at the same time. And, to have it all on Spike TV is really Buttercream icing on a big ole cake – not that whipped cream stuff either!” Lawal was suspended for nine months after testing positive for anabolic steroids this past January following his win over Lorenz Larkin at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine. King Mo retained his spot in the promotion though, until he chose harsh words to criticize Nevada State Athletic Commission chair holder Pat Lundvall’s demeanor during his disciplinary hearing. The comments ended Lawal’s tenure with Zuffa, but opened the door to Bellator, where he’s a welcome addition to the 205lbs division. “King Mo is an incredible athlete and a great addition to the Bellator family,” said Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney. “He immediately adds prominence and star-power to our light heavyweight division.” A self-professed pro wrestling fan, Lawal is known almost as much for his showmanship as for his formidable athletic abilities – a quality that will see him get along well at TNA Wrestling. “King Mo is the perfect athlete for this type of alliance,” TNA president Dixie Carter. “He is the real deal in MMA, and his bold personality and world class wrestling accomplishments are unparalleled. I’m confident he will have a major impact in both sports.” Though Bellator currently airs on MTV2, the promotion is headed to SpikeTV – the home of TNA Wrestling – next year. Lawal’s suspension is over in September, but he’s not expected to compete until the promotion switches networks in January. MMAFrenzy.com

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Describing his next career move as a "dream come true," Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal on Thursday announced that he had signed side-by-side deals to simultaneously fight and wrestle professionally. Starting in 2013, his new MMA home will be Bellator, but before that -- as early as this summer -- he'll be seen in TNA's Impact Wrestling ring.Dismissing concerns that Lawal's crossover would blur the line between reality and fiction, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney likened the former Strikeforce champ to one of sports' all-time great two-sport athletes."First there was Bo [Jackson], now there's Mo," he said. Rebney and Lawal were joined in the joint announcement by Spike TV president Kevin Kay, and TNA Entertainment president Dixie Carter, and Rebney acknowledged that it took a team effort to bring Lawal under the Viacom banner.Rebney said that he and Carter have spoken for over a year about the possibility of recruiting an athlete capable of crossing both worlds, and that when Lawal came free, they both knew he was the one."For concern for the credibility of what we do as a brand at Bellator and how it needed to work, we needed to find someone who was a very, very special fit," he said. "We needed to find someone who completely fit within this realm.""It just made so much sense," Kay added. "One of the greatest mixed martial arts fighters in the business and he has so much charm, charisma and personality. When Dixie and Bjorn brought it to me, I was like, 'Yes, go for it. Let's do it. Let's figure this out. Let's everybody get on the phone, get out there, do whatever we have to do and make a deal with Mo and get him with both organizations.'"The lengths of the respective deals were not disclosed, but Lawal said it was long enough that he'd "probably have some gray hairs by the time it's done." According to sources, Zuffa -- which released Lawal on March 27 -- had matching rights, but either could not or would not exercise them.From Bellator's point of view, his appeal was simple. Lawal has a career record of 8-1 with 1 no contest, is a former Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion and is still considered one of the sport's top 205-pounders. Lawal was released shortly after he was suspended for nine months following a hearing related to a failed drug test for PEDs. In recent weeks, though, UFC president Dana White had hinted the door might be open to a return.Lawal, though, said he wasn't about to wait and see what happened, not when he had a strong offer on the table that would allow him the flexibility to take part in two different fields.Phone calls from TNA stars Hulk Hogan and Sting, as well as executives from Spike and Bellator, helped convince him of the move."I want to go where I'm wanted," he said.Lawal is a lifelong wrestling fan, counting among his most cherished memories a 1988 Clash of the Champions match between Sting and Ric Flair that went to a draw."I was pretty crushed Sting didn't win the belt," he said.Lawal was seven years old at the time, but he's remained a fan of pro wrestling, and many have felt his "King Mo" character to be influenced by that. Several years ago, he had a tryout with wrestling powerhouse WWE and later spent a week in one of their developmental organizations. As far as timelines go, he'll make his pro wrestling debut first, at least partially because he's still a suspended fighter. Lawal, who is still rehabbing his surgically repaired left knee, says that when it's healed, is expected to start wrestling sometime during the summer."I love knocking people out, especially with the right hand, but I've never hit somebody with a chair before, so I'm looking forward to that," he said. "I feel sorry for who that victim is."A return to MMA won't come until after the New Year, and also until after Bellator moves to Spike from its current home on MTV2. Lawal was thrilled with the move, saying that it offers him more exposure than his former fighting home on Showtime.Rebney said he wasn't concerned about any confusion between the products."You can do two different things. Look, when Bo jackson played baseball he never tackled anybody. And nobody called that out as an oddity or something unusual. Nobody ever said, 'Why aren't you tackling anyone?' Because they're two different arenas. And that's what you're going to see with Mo. He's going to be participating at an elite, world-class level in two different arenas, and I have a lot of trust in our fan base."Lawal will stay at light-heavyweight, where Bellator's current champion is Christian M'Pumbu."I will enter the tournament, and I'll win the tournament, and I'm going to get that belt," he said.As for the physical grind he's about to put his body through while preparing for both fighting and wrestling, Lawal had to acknowledge the obvious, that's it will be challenging. He's certainly going into it with energy, saying that he's been so excited thinking about it, he has barely been able to sleep, and he can't rub the smile off of his face. "It's going to be hard, but I'm going to try my best to make it easy," he said.

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It looks like Brock Lesnar is not the only former MMA champion with legitimate grappling credentials who has aspirations of drawing a paycheck from work as a professional wrestler. According to multiple reports, Muhammed Lawal has inked a deal with TNA Wrestling. However, “King Mo” will not forgo a career in Mixed Martial Arts to focus purely on sports entertainment and has also signed to fight under the Bellator banner. Both companies have broadcasting deals with Viacom meaning it is likely Lawal will work for both organizations simultaneously.   The official announcement is set for this afternoon with Sherdog initially reporting the news. Lawal holds an overall record of 8-1 in MMA and held the Strikeforce light heavyweight title for a time. Owning past wins over stand-out competitors such as Roger Gracie and Gegard Mousasi, the 31-year old was last seen taking out Lorenz Larkin in January but failed a post-fight drug test and had the victory changed to a No Contest. The result stemmed from Lawal’s use of a since-banned over-the-counter supplement. He was released from Strikeforce in the wake of the controversy in addition to having called one of the NSAC officials a “racist bitch”. “King Mo” Apologizes for Behavior Relating to Inappropriate Tweet No word has surfaced on when he will debut in either organization though he is suspended on the MMA front until early September. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE Tweet

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Cast off from Strikeforce earlier this year, Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal has signed a deal that will have him splitting time between Bellator and TNA Impact Wrestling.

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Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal has signed to keep himself active while waiting for his suspension to end, as the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion is now a Bellator and TNA Wrestling competitor. MMA Weekly’s Ken Pishna reported that Lawal has signed with Bellator, and will also be allowed to compete for TNA. Both Bellator and [...]

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It appears that Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal has found a new home. It was announced today that the suspended fighter has signed with Bellator. The promotion is making a move to Spike TV for its television broadcasts, and with the switch, Lawal will also be appearing on the network's TNA Wrestling. In a rarely-seen signing of an athlete for both real and unreal fighting, this news comes as a bit of a surprise. Lawal had the following to say via a report from 5thround.com: “ This is a dream

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It looks like former Strikeforce champion Muhammed Lawal won’t be fighting inside the Octagon anytime soon, if ever, after entering discussions with Bellator to join the organization. Interestingly enough, Lawal is also apparently on the cusp of joining TNA Wrestling to test his skills as a professional wrestler. The 31-year old has never shied away from his love of the sports-entertainment industry, paying homage in the past by walking down to fights while wearing a crown, holding an umbrella, and being accompanied by a group of dancing girls. Sherdog was first to report the ongoing negotiations, citing sources “close to the situation” and also mentioning he is expected to compete in both companies simultaneously. TNA is currently broadcast on Spike TV while, as chance would have it, Bellator will move to the network next year. “King Mo” found himself a free agent a few months ago was released from his Strikeforce contract after labeling a NSAC official as a “racist bitch” in the wake of his nine-month suspension for steroid use. His punishment runs out in September although it remains unknown how healthy he’ll be after recently dealing with a life threatening infection. If Lawal does indeed sign with Bellator he will add some much-needed credibility/depth to their light heavyweight division. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

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When Muhammed Lawal returns to competition, he will be a two-sport athlete.

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After Saturday night's UFC 145 card, there are many left wondering who will be the one to dethrone Jon Jones. With an incredible reach advantage, and a very well rounded, complete game, the list is relatively short. I spoke with Muhammed Lawal recently, to get his take on the situation, and find out what's on the horizon for "King" Mo. Stephie Daniels: How do you feel about UFC fight bonuses? Mo Lawal: I think they're good, but a lot of people put too much emphasis on trying to win those bonuses instead of on winning their fights. What it comes down to, is that you can still get cut if you win a bonus, especially the fight of the night bonus. Get them wins, because you can't deny a winner. You can be boring as Hell, but if you're winning, they can't deny you, so you're going to get paid. Stephie Daniels: What was your opinion of the Jones/Evans fight? Mo Lawal: You know, it was a good fight. Jones used his reach real good. I think Rashad did a good job, but he just needs to close the distance more and should fight more in his range. Jones did did good with keeping him at bay. Rashad fought a good first and second, and the first part of the third round, while he was moving forward. He just got outworked and outpointed. It's not like Jones brutalized him or anything like that. Everybody tries to make it seem that way. Jones went out there and got a victory, which you're supposed to do. He fought smart and outworked him. Other than the elbows, it wasn't like he was out there throwing sonic booms. He was just out there, being Jon Jones, and outpointing him. Stephie Daniels: What do you think is the key to beating Jon Jones? Mo Lawal: I think it's going to be the person that goes out there with confidence, and doesn't care. Stephie Daniels: What do you think of Dan Henderson being named as Jon's next opponent? Mo Lawal: I think that Jon Jones has got to use his distance, but if Dan goes out there and fights like, 'F*ck it', he can make it an interesting fight. As far as wrestling, Dan can get taken down if he gets tired, but the first few rounds, I don't see him getting taken down. It all depends on which Dan shows up, and if he can stay healthy. That dude is a soldier [laughs]. I can't count how many times he's fought with pneumonia, and has fought sick. People just don't know. He fought Fedor while he was sick, fought Shogun sick. He fought back in PRIDE sick, a lot of times, but he fights anyway. I think Dan has a chance. I laugh when people say fighters are unbeatable or unstoppable. Everybody is beatable. The only thing that's unstoppable is time. Stephie Daniels: If Henderson isn't able to get by him, who do you think has the best chance to beat Jon Jones? Mo Lawal: Sh*t, me. I'd fight him, and honestly, I think I could beat him. In the Mousasi fight, I was very inexperienced. I would've taken more chances if I could do it over again, because I like to go out there and fight. I'd also like to see Rashad Evans get back in there again, after a few adjustments. He wasted a lot of energy just moving around, and getting stalked. It's easier to walk somebody down than it is to move around and be a jitterbug. I'd like to see him either walk him down or stand in the center and punch with him, because I think he could win. Stephie Daniels: Do you think that they'll ever be bury their personal issues? Mo Lawal: Who knows. They could. Maybe they could sit down with Greg (Jackson) and talk. It's up to them. Personally, I wouldn't. I'd just keep on moving. If they were really that tight from the get go, that fight would've never happened. Stephie Daniels: I recently saw a video interview with Dana White where he commended you for reaching out to Pat Lundvall to apologize for your comments toward her. What are your thoughts on this, and have you heard from him or anyone at ZUFFA? Mo Lawal: No, nothing at all. It's cool he said that. Thanks Dana, I appreciate it. I don't know what's going to happen, though. I'm just going to have to see. I'm going to go wherever I get the best offer, and where I'm wanted. Stephie Daniels: Is it in the cards at all, for you to possibly wait out your suspension before making a decision? Mo Lawal: I don't really know about all that. I would like to know when I'd be fighting. I've only got four more months, and I'd like to know that as soon as I'm done, I'm going to be ready to start banging. It's wherever the money is at, and whoever wants me. I'm going to be real with you. You don't get rid of what you want to keep. Stephie Daniels: You've expressed interest in the past in pro wrestling. Have you entertained any offers from WWE or TNA? Mo Lawal: Not at the moment. See, here's the thing, I turned pro wrestling down to continue real wrestling, and to make the jump to MMA. I love combat. I love to fight. I love pro wrestling, but I think I like fighting a little more. Actually, a lot more. I like to punch somebody in the f*cking face. I like to do damage. That's just me. Stephie Daniels: How's your knee and your overall health? Are you doing any kind of light training or just rehab? Mo Lawal: Well, I've been doing rehab stuff, and just taking it slow. I can probably go back to training in about a month and a half or so. My knee is good, and my health is good. I'm up to 203 pounds now, and slowly putting my weight back on. I was never a big 205er, so if I hit 218, which is my max, then I'm good. Stephie Daniels: What do you think of Henry Cejudo announcing his retirement? Mo Lawal: Man, I'm so mad. That's my boy. I told him he needed to start competing more. He only competed three times in the last three. The more you compete, the better you get. He didn't listen. He left Ohio, where he was training with my boy, Shawn Bunch, to go back to Arizona, where nobody is training at his size or skill level. I think that what happened with him, is that he wasn't really prepared. He's a young kid, so he'll have to figure out what he wants to do from here on out. When I retired, I was just like, 'F*ck it' and I moved on. I did the wrestling thing because I loved it, but then it got kind of boring. Now, I kind of miss it, especially when I watch the overseas competitions. Stephie Daniels: Do you ever think about going back to it at some point? Mo Lawal: No, but I am thinking about going back to Russia to watch a few tournaments and wrestle with some of the guys there. I want to bring them some gear, shirts and shoes, things like that. I had good times there, and there's some good people there. I'm looking to do that sometime next year. Stephie Daniels: What are your thoughts on Alistair Overeem and his current troubles? Mo Lawal: That's where it gets kind of weird to me. Why didn't they wait for the hearing? Did they talk to somebody? Did they get a head's up that he might not get his license? Why didn't they give the commissioner a chance to hear what his excuse was or what his reasoning was? Is it a conspiracy, or is it the UFC just using common sense, because they know how the commission is? You know, they're tough, and King Mo f*cked sh*t up for us [laughs]. I'm leaning towards it being common sense. Stephie Daniels: How do you feel about the revised HW title bout with Frank Mir fighting Junior Dos Santos? Mo Lawal: I think it's a good kung fu storyline. Frank Mir defeated his master twice. He beat him one by TKO and once by submission. It's time for Dos Santos to get the big payback. They should've used payback as the storyline for this promo instead of Rashad and Jones. I mean, what's the revenge with them? They just had beef. There wasn't a revenge plot. This Mir/Dos Santos fight is a true revenge plot. If I was Dos Santos, I'd come out to James Brown's The Big Payback. That's my jam right there. I don't know karate, but I know crazy! Follow Mo via his Twitter, @KingMoFH Related: UFC 146 Fight Card | Roy Nelson vs. Gabriel Gonzaga | UFC 145 Medical Suspensions I couldn't resist putting James Brown's video here. Enjoy it.

Posted in: fight, daniel, mo, lawal, stephie

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana wouldn't commit to whether or not Muhammed Lawal would ever get another shot to fight under the Zuffa umbrella following the former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion's remarks toward Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Chairperson Pat Lundvall. In case you forgot, "King Mo" labeled her a "racist bitch" following his unsuccessful suspension hearing for a positive steroid test on March 27, 2012. However, a current UFC veteran seems to think Lawal deserves a chance to not only fight in the Zuffa fray, but needs demonstrate his talents inside the Octagon. UFC Middleweight-turned Lightweight-turned Featherweight, Kenny Florian, believes that Lawal is too talented to not be mixing it up with the best 205-pound fighters in the UFC. "Ken Flo" tells Fight Hub TV that "King Mo" is an overall good person, he simply let his emotions get the best of him and that shouldn't hinder his quest to make the most out of his mixed martial arts (MMA) career. Furthermore, Florian believes that nicer words could have been spoken not only on Lawal's behalf, but from Lundvall herself, too. Check out what Florian had to say on the situation, as well as watch the video interview during which he made the remarks, after the jump: "It's really unfortunate, especially for a guy like King Mo, who I really like as a person. I think you can't question his talent, the guy is a tremendous talent and a tremendous fighter and, you know, sometimes we are all going to be victims of our own emotions and I think that was the case with King Mo. I think he definitely regrets what he says but I think the penalty was extremely harsh, as well. I think anytime you et someone who questions you and is supposed to be in a position of authority, and kind of says something like that to you, "Do you speak English?" Listen, I don't care who you are or where you're from, that's going to leave a bad taste in your mouth. I think there is nice ways to say on both sides. I think King Mo has learned from this and a guy that talented needs to be fighting in the UFC. I think he is sorry for what he said and I hope to see him, if not in Strikeforce, then hopefully in the UFC as soon as possible." Anyone here think the former NCAA Division-1 All American wrestling champion will ever get his chance to fight under the bright lights of the UFC? Or will his MMA career be relegated to the local and international circuits? For the record, Lawal has since apologized for his remarks.

Posted in: ufc, king mo, mo, king, lawal

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It appears the door is not completely closed on former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Muhammed Lawal competing for Zuffa again. Lawal was recently suspended and released in the past few weeks. Initially he was dealt a nine-month suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for failing a post-fight drug test. After the hearing, Lawal went off on Twitter against NSAC official Pat Lundvall, calling her a “racist bitch” after she’d questioned his ability to comprehend English. UFC President Dana White quickly cut Lawal from his contract after the remarks, but it appears the emotional executive has already envisioned the possibility of “King Mo” rejoining the organization. “We’ll see how this whole thing goes down,” said White in an interview with MMAJunkie. “The fact that he called her and reached out to her, I mean, that’s what he should have done. It’s respectable. I respect that.” The 8-1 Lawal’s personality and aggressive style of grappling made him a quick fan-favorite, positioning him among the group of fighters at the head of the Strikeforce pack. He will be eligible for reinstatement in September but is currently recovering from a serious staph infection with the process possibly keeping him out beyond the fall. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: strikeforce, muhammed lawal, lawal, i respect, nsac official

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal remains an unsigned fighter following his release from Strikeforce. However, with his recent actions, UFC president Dana White told John Morgan of MMA Junkie that he is impressed with Lawal and could see him back fighting for Zuffa down the road. Lawal was released from his [...]

Posted in: john morgan, lawal, mma junkie, zuffa umbrella, road lawal

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STOCKHOLM - Former Strikeforce champ Muhammed Lawal is still unemployed and unlicensed, but UFC president Dana White on Saturday seemed to suggest there may be a light at the end of the tunnel for "King Mo." White praised Lawal for his recent dealings with the Nevada State Athletic Commission and suggested he would be willing to at least talk about a return to Zuffa umbrella. "We'll see how this whole thing goes down," White said. "The fact that he called her and reached out to her, I mean that's what he should have done. It's respectable. I respect that."

Posted in: king mo, lawal, i respect, zuffa umbrella, zuffa stockholm

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Man, Strikeforce is making a hell of an accounting of itself these days, isn't it? As I read the news Wednesday about Alistair Overeem's drug test failure, it set in just how bad a few months it's been for some of the top Strikeforce talent that either moved over to the UFC or that were among their top remaining stars. While the WEC transplants have exceeded expectations, its uglier cousin via acquisition hasn't exactly done the Zuffa bosses proud. Here's a few highlights: Alistair Overeem I'm not sure what else to say on this whole mess other than I'm glad people didn't pretend to be surprised. The debacle Overeem took the Nevada State Athletic Commission through before his December bout with Brock Lesnar should have been foreshadowing, but apparently Overeem thought he could beat the law -- even when he knew he would be randomly tested as part of his December agreement. Dana White is mad and justifiably so. Putting aside the comments about lying to his face, White now has to shuffle around the upper part of UFC 146 and may have lost a potential big star in the process. Not only did he lose Lesnar to retirement, but the other half of the equation could be out for a very long time too? That's the ultimate lose-lose. "King" Mo Lawal I understand there's been a strong sympathy play since Lawal was released from his Zuffa contract last week following his own positive drug test suspension and subsequent social media outburst, but when you're not fully over as a star to the mainstream MMA fan, you lose protection privileges. For Lawal, it's been a horrendous few months with his myriad of medical issues and the loss of an opportunity to keep building up his star power in an organization that desperately needs it. The smart money is that he'll eventually get a shot again, but he's out for most of this year and at age 31, the clock is ticking at how much of an impact player he'll be upon his return. Cris "Cyborg" Santos The now former and likely final 145-pound women's champion is awaiting her April 9th hearing to appeal her drug test failure. (Note a recurring theme, anyone?) Women's MMA needs all the help it can get and having one of its most notable fighters on the shelf for a long, long time is a killer, likely eliminating the division from Strikeforce altogether. There's still some semblance of money to be made from a Santos/Ronda Rousey fight but that's a long way off, if it ever happens. Nick Diaz Ah, Mr. Diaz. Is there anything else to say at this point about him? He had two fights since being brought back to the UFC and is now out indefinitely after testing positive for marijuana metabolites, putting one of the biggest money fights the promotion has on ice. He awaits a May hearing and is already preparing his defense, while getting ready to hit the competitive BJJ mats again. I understand that not every Strikeforce fighter can be painted with the same brush and that for every Diaz, there's a Dan Henderson and for every Lawal, there's a Cung Le. But given Overeem's situation exploding on Wednesday, it's pretty incredible to look at the consistency of various drug related issues with some of Strikeforce's biggest names.

Posted in: overeem, strikeforce, drug, lawal, there

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On this edition of The MMA (After) Hour, we spoke to the polarizing "King" Muhammed Lawal about reaching out to the Nevada State Athletic Commission's Pat Lundvall to apologize for last week's offensive tweet, his current relationship with Zuffa, the offers he has received from other organizations, whether he will go to WWE, WrestleMania 28 and when he expects to fight again. Listen to the interview after the jump or download the audio here. The MMA (After) Hour: King Mo Interview

Posted in: mma, hour, nevada state, lawal, hell fight

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NSAC commissioner Pat Lundvall today told MMAjunkie.com she was going by the book when she asked Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal whether he read and understood English. And she would do so again. Although she regrets that Lawal took offense to a series of questions she posed during a recent disciplinary hearing, they were ultimately aimed toward the commission's goal of protecting the athlete's health and safety, she said.

Posted in: lawal, nsac commissioner, strikeforces lawal, athletes health, commissions goal

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It's good to be "King." Well, most of the time, anyway. In recent days, the crown has laid heavy on the head of former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion "King Mo" Muhammed Lawal. On top of suffering a nearly life-threatening staph infection in his knee, Lawal was also suspended for a positive drug test for anabolic steroids. The plot grew even thicker within the past week when Lawal appeared before the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) to defend himself against the charges. During the hearing, Lawal was asked by NSAC Commissioner Pat Lundvall if he "speaks English," a question that incensed and offended the former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler. Lawal went so far as to blast Lundvall and the Commission, calling her a "racist bitch" on Twitter: @KingMoFH: "I honestly feel like Lundvall was a racist b---- asking me if I can read or speak english. Go on somewhere with that bulls--- b**ch!!!" Lundvall appeared on HDNet's "Inside MMA," yesterday (April 2, 2012), to discuss the hearing and explain her reasoning behind asking her now infamous line of questioning: "I was not upset, and I never considered it to be derogatory. What I was doing was laying the classic or standard foundation for the gentleman to make sure that he understood the form that he was signing, that it was designed to be a truthful statement and that the information he was supposed to put on the form was supposed to be true and correct." According to Lundvall, the loaded question wasn't personal. In fact, it's one that she asks on a regular basis with athletes who have been in similar predicaments: "From my perspective, I've used that standard line of questioning for each and every athlete that has come before us, when their candor on their pre-fight questionnaire has been an issue. On occasion, we do have fighters that come before us, that have indicated their trainers or maybe someone who was with them at the time or a manager has filled out the form -- that they don't read English, that they don't understand English, which maybe a second or a third language for them. What we try to do is to ensure that, if we're going to be taking that into account, that they do understand what it is that they're signing and that they have read it." It ended up being too little, too late (as most fans now know that Lawal was cut by Zuffa immediately after his comments), but "King Mo" did make a statement, apologizing to Lundvall and the NSAC. According to Lundvall, the apology is news to her: "Well, number one: Mr. Lawal has not contacted me. But, if he did, I would take his call, and I very much would be happy to hear from him. To the extent that you have now informed me of something, I was not aware that he had expressed an apology. I'm thankful that he has, and I wish him the very best and was so happy also to learn in that you just reported that the staph infection in his knee has cleared up." At this point in time, it's unknown exactly what will become of Lawal and his career. Rumors have swirled as to where he will end up, but only time will tell where the truth lies. In the meantime, MMAmania.com will keep you updated on the situation as news becomes available.

Posted in: time, king, lawal, nsac commissioner, lundvall

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Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal may be suspended for nine months due to a positive drug test, but that doesn’t mean other promotions can’t try and obtain his services. Last week, after a Twitter outburst directed towards the Nevada State Athletic Commission results in his release from Strikeforce, Lawal was left pondering what would be in store for him going forward. Well, if Bellator Fighting Championship or the Super Fight League out of India have anything to say about it, Lawal will not be unemployed for very long, as both promotion CEO’s recently informed MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiappetta. “He’s too talented of a fighter,” said Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Look at him and what he was able to accomplish in a series of fights. So yeah, I’d absolutely talk to him, and I anticipate I will be talking to him.” Ken Pavia, the CEO of the SFL, said, “It goes without saying that the SFL would love to have ‘King Mo’ fight in our organization. We’ll use best efforts to make it happen.” Lawal is a former Strikeforce champion. He tested positive for a steroid following a fight with Lorenz Larkin – that he won, but had changed to a no-contest due to the positive test. Lawal has also expressed interest in a possible appearance or two in professional wrestling, so it seems he could be the hottest free agent on the market right now.

Posted in: fight, bellator, strikeforce champion, nevada state, lawal

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Tired of actually getting punched in the face for a living? Wanting to put your entertainment hat on instead of that sparring headgear? Having issues with an athletic commission? Have no fear, WWE is here! Brock Lesnar recently retired from mixed martial arts (MMA) and he's already reportedly signed a one-year deal with the popular pro wrestling promotion, potentially to debut at tonight's WrestleMania 28 event. But another fairly high profile fighter is reportedly expressing interest in making the jump to the scripted entertainment world -- Muhammed Lawal. And it's not even the first time he's flirted with the idea. The Wrestling Observer has the details: Lawal immediately expressed interest in going to WWE. He's had interest in the past. He was recruited years ago by Gerald Brisco, and at the time said he would be interested in going in 2008 because he first wanted to go to the Olympics. However, he lost in overtime in the finals at the Olympic trials. He had interest in both WWE and MMA after the Olympics but made the call to do MMA, feeling he could always do WWE after a few years of MMA, but couldn't do it in the other direction. Lawal grew up in Tennessee as a big fan of Jerry Lawler (hence the "King" gimmick) and several of the WCW stars like Ric Flair, Booker T and Arn Anderson, was in OVW briefly years ago. In a discussion with Shad Gaspard, Gaspard told him that he wished he stayed in fighting and had a career there before pro wrestling and encouraged Lawal to do the same. Lawal had always said when he grew up that his goal was to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling (he came up slightly short), then win a world championship in fighting, and follow that by winning a world championship as a pro wrestler. With his natural charisma and athletic ability, it's not crazy to think that Lawal could make the jump over, spend some time at a developmental territory, and make the jump to the main roster to appear on TV, all within about one year. Then again, he still has options in MMA, if he wants to stick around the fight game. The real one. MMAFighting.com got comments from Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney and Super Fight League CEO Ken Pavia, both of who expressed interest in signing Lawal to their respective promotions. Rebney says he anticipates talking to him in the near future: "He's too talented of a fighter. He has too much athletic ability to ignore. There were obviously pieces from his game that were missing that got exploited, but he's an incredible athlete, a talented fighter, a charismatic personality. Look at him and what he was able to accomplish in a series of fights. So yeah, I'd absolutely talk to him, and I anticipate I will be talking to him." Pavia, meanwhile, is making it sound as though he'll be doing his very best to get "King Mo" fighting under the SFL banner: "I have the utmost respect for King Mo. He's a true student of the game and is exceedingly intelligent. Most importantly, he understands that we are entertainers and this is entertainment. He just gets it. It goes without saying that the SFL would love to have King Mo fight in our organization. We'll use best efforts to make that happen." And, of course, it's not entirely impossible that Lawal could simply end up in the UFC, as long as he apologizes long enough and loud enough. What's your best guess for where Lawal is headed, Maniacs?

Posted in: wwe, king, lawal, he, interest

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From failing a drug test to Twitter trouble, it has not been a good week for Muhammed (King Mo) Lawal.

Posted in: week, drug test, king, lawal, twitter trouble

Read the full article at sportsnet.ca

On a Comcast Sportsnet (CSN) exclusive video interview, King Mo Lawal made an apology to the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). "I was out of line for calling the woman the 'b' word and I was wrong for that.

Posted in: nevada state, king, lawal, apology, b word

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Former UFC light heavyweight champ Rashad Evans was sad to see Mo Lawal’s situation go from bad to worse this past week, he told MMA Fighting. The two are colleagues in the fight game, but they’re also friends, which made it hard to watch as Lawal was released from his Strikeforce contract shortly after being fined and suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday."It’s unfortunate, man. Mo’s probably one of the best guys I’ve ever met in the sport, and even outside of the sport," said Evans. "He’s so much different than the character, or what he comes across as. People get the wrong take on Mo." The way Evans sees it, many people fail to see the distinction between the real Lawal and the "King Mo" persona he’s adopted for the purposes of a little pre-fight entertainment. What they don’t realize is that, whether on Twitter or in person, they’re getting a much more genuine response than they get from many other fighters.Sometimes, however, that’s a personality trait that comes with certain consequences."Mo’s so real," Evans said. "When someone says something to him, it’s hard for him to divorce the fact that they’re saying it to his character and not who he really is as a person. When you say something to him, he gets offended deeply because he’s such a real dude. I feel bad for him. He’s a champion at heart, and I’m sure he’ll find a way to make it back to [Zuffa] or find a way to make it in another organization as a top guy."The question for Lawal is what he’ll decide to do next. Will he sign with another organization? Will he try to wait out Zuffa’s wrath and then sign a new contract when tempers have cooled? If Evans had to lay odds on it, he said, he’d bet that Lawal will eventually end up back in one of the two Zuffa-owned organizations. In the meantime, it’s just a matter of making it through the rough times ahead. That’s something Evans knows a little something about, he said."I think that everything happens for a reason. I’ve been in a situation where I had to ride out a dark cloud a little bit in my career. I think Mo’s just going to have to ride the dark cloud in his career. I went about a 14-month period of not having a fight and just riding out some of the waves in my life, and that happens. Fighting is not just about fighting -- it’s about life. Sometimes you have those ups and downs in life, just like in your career. But as long as you keep your mind right and on what you really want, and you stay hungry, then you’ll prevail and make it through the storm."

Posted in: evan, something, mo, lawal, career i

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Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal has apologized to Nevada Athletic Commissioner Pat Lundvall for referring to her as a "racist b**ch" in a series of angry tweets. Lawal was angry because Lundvall and her fellow commissioners voted to suspend him for 9 months and fine him $39,000 for failing a steroid test following his win over Lorenzo Larkin at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine. Strikeforce immediately released Lawal in response to "the suspension and his reaction" according to CEO Scott Coker. Here's what Lawal said to CSN Bay Area: "I was out of line for calling the woman the 'b' word and I was wrong for that. I was kind of mad about the comments, I was offended by the comments made towards me and I was out of line. I was too emotional. I apologize for that. With that being said, I still feel that I was offended, but I'm in the wrong for what I said." Also Dave Meltzer is reporting at the Wrestling Observer (subscription required) that Lawal is considering a move to pro-wrestling. Lawal has endured 5 surgeries since his last fight -- initially to fix a torn ACL, the rest to save his leg, and life, from a raging staph infection -- none of them covered by insurance. Here's Meltzer: Lawal immediately expressed interest in going to WWE. He's had interest in the past. He was recruited years ago by Gerald Brisco, and at the time said he would be interested in going in 2008 because he first wanted to go to the Olympics. However, he lost in overtime in the finals at the Olympic trials. He had interest in both WWE and MMA after the Olympics but made the call to do MMA, feeling he could always do WWE after a few years of MMA, but couldn't do it in the other direction. Lawal grew up in Tennessee as a big fan of Jerry Lawler (hence the "King" gimmick) and several of the WCW stars like Ric Flair, Booker T and Arn Anderson, was in OVW briefly years ago. In a discussion with Shad Gaspard, Gaspard told him that he wished he stayed in fighting and had a career there before pro wrestling and encouraged Lawal to do the same. Lawal had always said when he grew up that his goal was to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling (he came up slightly short), then win a world championship in fighting, and follow that by winning a world championship as a pro wrestler. Video of Lawal talking to CSN after the jump.

Posted in: wwe, lawal, olympic, world championship, wwe hes

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It’s been a crazy past few weeks for former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal. First, Lawal has been battling a deadly staph infection that nearly cost him his life. After that, Lawal was forced to go in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission and plea his case for a positive drug test. Well, as you all know by now, that didn’t go in Lawal’s favor. Along with being fined and suspended, his actions after the ruling led to his release from Strikeforce. Lawal took to social media and ripped the NSAC, specifically Pat Sundvall, who “King Mo” felt made some disparaging remarks against him during the hearing. Recently, Lawal gave a formal apology in an interview with CSN Bay Area. The thing is, when it comes down to it, I’m gonna be real; I was out of line for calling the woman the b-word. I was wrong for that. I was kinda mad by the comments, I was offended by the comments made towards me, and I was outta line. I was too emotional. But, you know, I apologize for that. With that being said, I still feel that I was offended, but I’m in the wrong for what I said. The comments that upset Lawal came courtesy of Sundvall, who asked if he could read and understand the English language. It remains to be seen if the UFC, Strikeforce and Zuffa will allow Lawal back, as maybe they just want to let things settle. Lawal is out for nine months regardless due to the suspension, so there is plenty of time before anything official needs to happen. Photo credit: Esther Linn/All Elbows

Posted in: drug test, lawal, comments i, anything official, bword i

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When Muhammed Lawal was cut by Strikeforce this week following a nine-month suspension, his future was thrown into disarray. For now, Lawal is still on the mend from recent knee surgery, but he may not have to wait long to find a new home.At least two promotions have stated their interest in the former Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion. In separate interviews with MMA Fighting, both Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney and Super Fight League CEO Ken Pavia confirmed that they would likely reach out to Lawal in the near future to assess the possibility of pursuing him as a free agent for their respective organizations. While Bellator has only signed a few fighters on the way out of Zuffa-owned promotions, Rebney said that Lawal would be the type they may target because of his upside potential and relative youth in the game (Lawal turned pro in 2008). Rebney hasn't so much as sent out a feeler yet, but said he's always heard great things about Lawal from mutual acquaintances to go along with his athletic talent. Because of those reasons, Rebney said he owed it to his company to explore the possibility. "He's too talented of a fighter. He has too much athletic ability to ignore," he told MMA Fighting. "There were obviously pieces from his game that were missing that got exploited, but he's an incredible athlete, a talented fighter, a charismatic personality. Look at him and what he was able to accomplish in a series of fights. So yeah, I'd absolutely talk to him, and I anticipate I will be talking to him." Meanwhile, the India-based Super Fight League recently hosted its its inaugural event in Mumbai, and a sophomore effort is just days away, with a full 2012 schedule already set. That means the promotion is on the lookout for talent, and according to Pavia, Lawal is on their radar. "I have the utmost respect for King Mo," Pavia said. "He's a true student of the game and is exceedingly intelligent. Most importantly, he understands that we are entertainers and this is entertainment. He just gets it. It goes without saying that the SFL would love to have King Mo fight in our organization. We'll use best efforts to make that happen."Its next event, set for April 7, will be headlined by a heavyweight bout pitting Neil Grove against Todd Duffee. Interestingly, Bellator and Super Fight League have a working relationship, with Bellator allowing contracted fighters Grove and Alexander Shlemenko to compete at the aforementioned April event.The 31-year-old Lawal is 8-1 with 1 no contest in his career. A former collegiate wrestling All-American and international amateur wrestler, he won his first seven pro bouts, becoming the Strikeforce light-heavyweight champ with a unanimous win over Gegard Mousasi in April 2010. In his next fight, he lost the belt in a TKO loss to Rafael Cavalcante, but rebounded with a knockout of Roger Gracie. In his most recent fight, Lawal beat Lorenz Larkin by knockout, but the decision was eventually changed to a no contest after he tested positive for the steroid Drostanolone. He appealed the decision, saying it was due to an over-the-counter supplement called S-Mass Lean Gainer that was later removed from store shelves. In addition to the suspension and change to the fight result, the Nevada state athletic commission also fined him $39,000. Hours after his penalties were set, he was cut by Strikeforce.All of this came on the heels of a recurring staph infection that ravaged his body, causing him to lose about 30 pounds. For now, he remains on crutches and isn't likely to fight anytime soon. At least with the first revelation of interested promoters, Lawal might begin to look forward to something positive.

Posted in: fight, bellator, fight league, league, lawal

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Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal seems to be going on the defensive as of late after his remarks concerning the Nevada State Athletic Commission and Pat Sundvall. The brunt of Lawal’s outrage came after Sundvall asked him during a recent hearing if he could read and understand the English language. The former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion took that to heart, especially being a college graduate, and labeled her a “racist bitch”. However, it seems that Sundvall was trying to get to the root of why Lawal declared himself health if suffering from a knee injury. After a few days to think about it, Lawal issued a formal apology in an interview with CSN Bay Area News, Lawal issued a formal apology for his remarks towards Sundvall. “The thing is, when it comes down to it, I’m gonna be real; I was out of line for calling the woman the b-word,” Lawal said. “I was wrong for that. I was kinda mad by the comments, I was offended by the comments made towards me, and I was outta line. I was too emotional. But, you know, I apologize for that.” Lawal’s comments are what likely lead to his release from Strikeforce shortly after making them. Despite the apology, Lawal still seems a little upset, adding, “I still feel I was offended, but I’m in the wrong for what I said.” “King Mo” was handed a fine and a nine-month suspension, along with having a win over Lorenz Larkin changed to a No Contest, due to his positive hit for steroid use. It remains to be seen what is in store for Lawal going forward organization-wise though in the immediate future he will be recovering from a life-threatening staph infection in his knee. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: strikeforce, muhammed lawal, lawal, apology, sundvall

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Former Strikeforce light heavyweight Muhammed Lawal still has a ways to go before stepping foot in the ring again let alone a cage owned by Zuffa. However, the recently released Lawal has at least taken the first step towards redemption by showing accountability for the actions leading to his newfound free agency. Lawal recently went on a Comcast SportsNet Bay Area program to apologize for labeling NSAC official Pat Lundvall a “racist bitch” on Twitter after she questioned his ability to speak/read English during a hearing to review the 31-year old’s licensing status. A Detailed Look at Lawal’s Suspension/Release “The thing is, when it comes down to it, I’m gonna be real, I was out of line for calling the woman the b-word,” admitted Lawal. “I was wrong for that. I was kinda mad by the comments, I was offended by the comments made towards me and I was outta line. I was too emotional. But, you know, I apologize for that. With that being said, I still feel that I was offended, but I’m in the wrong for what I said.” Lundvall’s remarks were in response to Lawal omitting information relating to his health on a NSAC form he filled out prior to a January fight with Lorenz Larkin. After the bout it was revealed Lawal had an injured knee entering the contest. The former champion is currently suspended for nine months after testing positive for steroid use relating to the same match-up. Lawal has explained the banned substance in his body related to an over-the-counter supplement he’d purchased that has since been pulled off shelves for obvious reasons. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE Tweet

Posted in: lorenz larkin, lawal, nsac, nsac official, mo lawal

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Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal appeared in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission earlier this month to answer for his positive drug test result from Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine. The light heavyweight fighter registered the presence of the anabolic steroid Drostanalone in his system following a TKO win over Lorenz Larkin at the event. He had been prepared to defend himself on the grounds of unwittingly ingesting the substance through an over-the-counter supplement, but the NSAC essentially shot him down and saddled him with a fine and suspension. Lawal took issue with his treatment during the hearing by NSAC officials, in particular with Pat Lundvall, who condescendingly asked him whether or not he could read and understand the English language. Lawal lashed out via Twitter. I honestly feel like Lundvall was a racist bitch asking me if I can read or speak english. Go on somewhere with that bull—- bitch!!! Its funny how people are tryna say that I’m callin the commission racist. No!! They aren’t. But there was one person on the panel that was out of line with the question she asked me. I found it insulting, prejudice, and a lil racist. I say racist from my past experiences. King Mo’s response cost him his spot on the Zuffa roster, as he was unceremoniously released from his Strikeforce contract shortly after making the comments. Having had time to let things sink in, Lawal is regretful for the things he said, even if he still feels that Lundvall was out of line. Via CSN Bay Area: The thing is, when it comes down to it, I’m gonna be real, I was out of line for calling the woman the b-word. I was wrong for that. I was kinda mad by the comments, I was offended by the comments made towards me and I was outta line. I was too emotional.  But, you know, I apologize for that. With that being said, I still feel that I was offended, but I’m in the wrong for what I said. From here, Lawal – who’s just beginning his recovery from a life-threatening staph infection – only plans to take his punishment on the chin and soldier forward, whatever that may entail and wherever it may see him when his nine-month suspension and arduous recovery are over.

Posted in: line, lawal, nsac, ninemonth suspension, line i

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In a video with CSN Bay Area , Mo Lawal apologized to Nevada Athletic Commissioner Pat Lundvall for calling her a slur for women on his Twitter account. "I was out of line for calling the woman the 'b' word and I was wrong for that," Lawal told CSN California. "I was kind of mad about the comments, I was offended by the comments made towards me and I was out of line. I was too emotional. I apologize for that. With that being said, I still feel that I was offended, but I'm in the wrong for what I said." Lawal has not changed his stance on Lundvall's tone towards him. In the end, it does not matter if anyone else but Lawal found her questioning racist, because it was directed at Lawal. Based on his experiences in his life, he found it to be racist and was offended, and he has a right to feel that way. Lashing out against Lundvall with that language wasn't the best move, which is why he apologized. Apologizing was a smart thing for Lawal to do because he can now move on from this incident. It won't continue to hang over his head as he continues to rehabilitate from knee surgery and a life-threatening staph infection.

Posted in: knee surgery, lawal, lundvall, comments i, lundvalls tone

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On "No Holds Barred" radio and later in a video with CSN Bay Area, Mo Lawal apologized to Nevada Athletic Commissioner Pat Lundvall for calling her a slur for women on his Twitter account. "I was out of line for … Continue reading →

Posted in: mo, lawal, nevada, commissioner, mo lawal

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Muhammed Lawal has had one hell of a year. Some of that's been thanks to bad luck but he's also brought some of his misfortunes upon himself. Such was the case recently when he called a Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) chairperson a "racist bitch" because she asked him a question he found offensive. The ruling to come down from that infamous hearing was a $39,000 fine, a nine month suspension and his win over Lorenz Larkin getting overturned. The real kicker, though, came when he tweeted his displeasure with the aforementioned insult. Shortly after doing so, he was unceremoniously released from his Zuffa contract. The first step in his rehabilitation process comes in how he handles himself now and he's doing the right thing here by issuing an apology in an interview with CSN California: "I was out of line for calling the woman the 'B' word and I was wrong for that. I was kind of mad about the comments, I was offended by the comments made towards me and I was out of line. I was too emotional. I apologize for that. With that being said, I still feel that I was offended, but I'm in the wrong for what I said." Hear more from "King Mo" after the jump, including an update on his health status and what he's got planned now that his life has turned upside down. Hint: He'll bounce back. Lawal apology.

Posted in: lorenz larkin, lawal, he, health status, rehabilitation process

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It’s another Friday on another UFC-less weekend, which means it’s time again to open up the Twitter Mailbag and pray that there isn’t any anthrax in there. Warning: this edition begins and ends with very long answers to interesting, complex questions. I realize it might appear daunting at first, but soldier through. There are still a bunch of short, smart-ass responses in between.If you’ve got a question of your own, look me up on Twitter at @BenFowlkesMMA. I’ll be the one posting pictures of my dog and giving you unsolicited updates on the weather.Alex P. @Alex_Newfiecan we get your thoughts on @KevinI 's piece on @KingMoFH http://yhoo.it/HnQldU for your twitter mail bag? With pleasure, Alex. But first, those of you in need of a little background info might want to read my Sports Illustrated column from this week, and Kevin Iole’s Yahoo! Sports column from yesterday, wherein he takes issue with my argument, as well as the arguments of several others, including our own Mike Chiappetta and Luke Thomas. Reading those two pieces is probably going to take some time, so while you do that, I’m going to go make myself a deep dish pizza from scratch. Meet you at the next paragraph in a few.Okay, caught up now? Good, now I can enjoy this pizza while I tell you why I think Iole -- who I like as a person and whose work I respect -- is wrong. For starters, I never argued that NSAC commissioner Pat Lundvall was racist in her questioning of Lawal. In fact, I argued that Lawal -- who I also like as a person and respect very much -- tends to view the world through the prism of race a little too often. I know, because I’ve had these conversations with him before, and have seen just how quick he is to assume that racism is at the core of every negative reaction. If you want to see one such conversation in action, go read Chuck Mindenhall’s excellent feature on him from a 2010 issue of Fight Magazine. I've had almost that exact same talk with him before. So have plenty of people. I know it’s easy for me, a person who is what sociologists refer to as "a white dude," to throw my hands up and say that race isn’t such a big issue. Mo’s experience is quite different from mine, so I can understand why he might be on a heightened alert for racist attitudes. At the same time, if you walk around with only a hammer on your tool belt, pretty soon everything starts to look like a nail.I definitely think Lundvall was needlessly condescending. I also think it is very possible for a person to be condescending without being racist. Iole points out a previous instance of Lundvall being exactly as condescending to a white man, which he claims is proof that she is not a racist. Again, I never really thought that she was. I just thought she was far more jerk-ish about the whole thing than she needed to be, and the previous instance Iole brings up only supports that position. That doesn’t even come close to excusing Lawal for going all Rush Limbaugh on her via Twitter, but I can see why he might have been upset about the way she spoke to him. And please, enough with this nonsense about Lundvall just trying to establish facts on the record or "lay a foundation" for her argument by asking Lawal, in the middle of the conversation, if he speaks English. Does anyone believe that Lundvall was genuinely unsure about Lawal’s English proficiency? Does anyone think she was worried that, at the conclusion of the hearing, he might leap up from his seat and declare that he had fooled the NSAC all along, for he could not read nor understand a word of English, and must therefore be forgiven for the false information on his pre-fight questionnaire? No. Nobody believes that, because it is ridiculous. If you want to establish that a person read and understood the form they were signing, you ask them if they read and understood the form they were signing. You only ask someone if they understand English if you a) are in a foreign country and desperately need to find the hospital, or b) want to be a jerk to them. Not necessarily a racist jerk, mind you, but a jerk nonetheless.Finally, Iole argues that Lawal deserved to be fired for testing positive for steroids, lying on his pre-fight questionnaire, and lashing out in a profane attack on Lundvall. You could certainly make an argument that that trifecta is worthy of retribution, but bafflingly, Iole then writes, "Hopefully, he'll be brought back at some point, like has happened to Torres, Nate Marquardt and so many others in the past." I'm sorry, but you can't argue that someone committed a series of offenses that warranted and perhaps even demanded their firing, and yet simultaneously argue that they should be given their job back. If what Iole is saying is that Lawal deserves to be punished by being kept out of action for a while, there’s a word for that: suspension. Zuffa is setting a bizarre precedent with all these firings and re-hirings. So bizarre, in fact, that people are actually starting to expect it. As if it’s a totally normal punishment to be temporarily fired from your job. As if that’s something that happens with such regularity in other career fields or even in other professional sports. This 'I hate you, wait, maybe you're not so bad after all' attitude is something that goes on only in dysfunctional relationships. It shouldn't be standard procedure in a pro sports organization.Was Lawal absolutely wrong to call Lundvall both a racist and a b-word? Yes. Was he wrong for omitting important information from that questionnaire? Yes. Should he be punished in some fashion? Yes. Is it reasonable to essentially ban him from the big leagues of MMA for these offenses? I don't think so. Again, I like Iole and think reasonable people can disagree on these issues, but I don’t think it serves the sport or its fans to oust a fighter from the top levels of the sport just because of one dumb tweet.Matt Pryor @CRUMxMMAHave you enjoyed the past few weeks with the absence of a UFC event? #TMBYes and no. It’s sort of like summer vacation when you’re a kid. You look forward to the break and think about all the awesome stuff you’re going to do, but two weeks in you’re sitting around in a ratty t-shirt watching I Love Lucy and wishing you had someone to go ride bikes with. I’ll be glad when the schedule picks back up again and we have more actual fights to write about.Chuck Mindenhall @ChuckMindenhallDoes Lloyd Woodard own a musket and/or has he ever fought in the Civil War?Okay, smart guy. I see what you’re up to here. You think just because Lloyd Woodard is a Montanan with a mustache, he must be some sort of Yosemite Sam caricature, huh? You think we’re a bunch of backwards yokels up here in the nation’s fourth largest state, just shooting off guns and swigging XXX brand whiskey. And hey, maybe you’re right. Maybe that is a pretty good little Saturday afternoon in the Treasure State. But before you assume that we don’t know nothin’ about all this fancy MMA stuff, you might want to ask Patricky Freire how his arm is feeling right about now. That's what happens when you underestimate the 406.James @lightbluesheepWhere is Mike Swick? And, will Matt Serra fight again?Swick tells me he’s healing up his ACL and hopes to be back in action by August. Also, thanks for thinking about him. As for Serra fighting again, Magic Eight Ball says: Outlook not so good. He doesn’t need to. He had a good career, and now has a brisk gym business back home in New York, from what I hear. I’d like to see him enjoy his retirement and leave the fighting to the young bucks. That is, unless Matt Hughes wants to have another go.Adrian Garcia @AdriantheWizardwhat is the 1st best possible route to take when handling TRT & PEDs? Make all commissions follow same regulations maybe?That would be a great start, but it’s not enough. This sport needs some sort of independent body to handle policies and testing and punishment. When Dana White says the UFC has too much going on to police the daily actions of 350 fighters, I can see his point. That’s why the UFC -- along with Bellator and every other licensed MMA promoter in the country -- could contribute a percentage of their profits toward forming an organization to conduct random, out-of-competition testing, and to review applications for therapeutic-use exemptions. They should have no influence over that organization whatsoever, and should all agree to abide by its findings. That’s the only way to get serious about cracking down on PEDs in MMA. State commissions don’t have the resources or the collective attitude necessary to get it done. An independent, promoter-funded regulatory body might.Jason Rule @JasonRulewhere does Lawal land when this is done? My vote is Bellator especially since they do not do much in NV.The problem with Bellator is that they typically want fighters to sign relatively long-term contracts, while guys in Lawal’s situation are usually just looking for a chance to fight once or twice until Zuffa’s fickle affections turn around. That’s what kept Marquardt out of Bellator, which now seems to have been the right choice for him. There have been some grumblings about Lawal considering a run as a pro wrestler, but I wonder if he’d still like that idea six months into living out of suitcases. Plus, he’s such a talented fighter, I’d hate to lose him to athletic theater. He also deserves to be fighting top-tier opponents, so I don’t want to see him crushing cans in some civic auditorium for a couple grand a pop. My bet is he’s back in one of the Zuffa promotions within a year. I just wish we didn’t have to keep going through this same temporary break-up nonsense every time a fighter screws up.Tim Bennett @tcbennett84when should a fighter's corner #ThrowInTheTowel? How much of the onus of fighter safety should be on them? #TMB #JoeWarrenIn theory, the corner should be ready to throw in the towel in situations like the one Joe Warren was in. In practice, that’s a tough sell. Cornermen get so caught up in the emotions of the fight, it’s difficult for them to make a decision like that in the moment. It’s easier if they can look at their fighter between rounds and tell he’s in trouble. Then they can at least discuss it with him. If they throw in the towel and the fighter feels like he could have continued, he may never forgive them for it. Michael J Peñarete @MaikolJPif journalism wasn't as hot as it was back in the 2000s would you of considered a career in mma? If so at what weightWait, you’re saying journalism is "hot"? Or it was hot, and now isn’t? I’m confused. Either way, no, I would not have considered a career in MMA for the same reason that I wouldn't have considered a career in the NFL: I'd be killed instantly. I'm a good enough athlete to compete with fellow nerds, but I can't say I'd want to fight for a living even if I thought I could. That was true before I started covering MMA, and it's even more true now.Plus, I’m about 185 pounds (when I’m eating reasonably well and drinking socially rather problematically). That means I’d probably have to cut to at least 170 just to fight guys my own size. I don’t know if you’ve ever cut weight, but I have and it sucks. When you’re dieting, something weird happens to your brain. It’s like those cartoons where a starving character looks at his friends and just sees a walking pork chop. I have a lot of respect for the guys who can do that over and over again, but I don’t want to live that way. I like hamburgers and whiskey and quiet days in front of my computer. That’s why I’m so thankful that journalism is hot right now. Or was. Still unclear on that part.Fraser @FrazAFC94Friday nights are a horrible slot for MMA: Agree or Disagree.Agree, but only when there are also MMA events on Saturday night. For instance, right now, when the UFC is on hiatus, then I really like having a Bellator event to watch on Fridays. But when the UFC returns with one event after another on Saturday nights, that’s when the Friday night time slot starts to look like a real liability. I’d love to see Bellator move to Tuesday or Wednesday, especially now that "The Ultimate Fighter" is live on Friday. Spread out the action, and MMA fans can keep up with your events without it feeling like a chore.Rope @BigNiinjaSay Silva beats CS, what would be left for both fighters? Silva clearly best fighter ever and Sonnen just a windbag nowI don’t know if a second loss to Silva would make Sonnen "just a windbag," since he’d probably still be better than 95 percent of the other middleweights out there, but I see your point. His schtick would definitely have to change, lest it become stale and sad. Fortunately for Sonnen, he’s a versatile talent in the cage and in front of the camera. He could hang around and pick a fight with a new nemesis, or he could retire and become a commentator or TV personality of some kind. If he had an afternoon talk radio show, I admit I’d probably tune in.As for Silva, that might be the perfect win to go out on. I mean, beating your greatest rival in a soccer stadium full of your countrymen? In the movie version of life, that’s a great time to freeze the frame and roll the credits.Greg Carter @GCHatesYouIf John McCain had his way and MMA didn't exist, what would you be writing about?Erotic sci-fi fan fiction. That’s why I’m very, very glad that MMA exists.geeg @blahhelloblahHey, What do you think Zuffa will do with the SF tournament winner? what do you think they should do? thanksIdeally, I’d say the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner should get an immediate UFC title shot. But since the powers that be have decided to keep the winner around in Strikeforce for one more post-GP fight against the always dangerous TBA, I suppose that’s out of the question. Whenever Zuffa gets around to moving the winner over to the UFC, I think you have to give him a title shot right away. That tournament might not have panned out the way Strikeforce hoped (it was an almost impossibly ambitious plan, after all), but whoever’s left standing at the end will have proved himself deserving of a crack at the big belt. Stealth Lee @stealthleeIf Montana were an MMA fighter, who would it be? :) #mailbagI feel like it’s a copout to name a fighter who’s from Montana, like Lloyd Woodard or Keith Jardine, though either would work. Instead, I’ll reach beyond state lines and say Don Frye. In fact, I think Frye could probably move here and be governor within six months. He wouldn’t even have to try very hard. All it would take is a couple strategically placed billboards, a viral video campaign featuring his Takayama fight, and a debate performance packed with Frye-isms. He’d win in a landslide.Brian Kaune @TheBriGuy24Isnt a COC overrated for UFC? Like the NFL,its open to interp of a single man. UFC has the Fertitas to balance when necessary. &do guys really need 2 be told what they can and cant do? Common sense needs to be on a piece of paper? No sympathy 4 stupidityThis is a good question, and it’s also the line of reasoning Dana White usually falls back on when pressed about why the UFC doesn’t have a standing code of conduct. You can make a strong case that guys like Mo Lawal and Miguel Torres should have known it was a bad idea to tweet the things that they did. The problem is the inconsistency in how different fighters are dealt with. Some seem to get away with just about anything, while others are never more than one dumb tweet away from unemployment. You could argue that a code of conduct might still allow for uneven implementation, but at least it’s a start. The question I keep coming back to is, why not have one? What would be the harm in telling fighters and the public that x offense will result in y punishment? Maybe the UFC is worried that it might then be required to punish a big star in ways that aren’t helpful to the bottom line. Maybe it thinks that fear of swift, capricious retribution will keep fighters in line. But the fact that the issue keeps coming up tells us that maybe common sense really does need to be on a piece of paper, as sad as that is.Dan Brooks @Combat_BlogCan Mo Lawal possibly mean it when he says supplements were responsible for his positive steroid test? Can that happen?First of all, thanks to my good friend and the author of the wonderful Combat Blog for dusting off his Twitter long enough to ask a question. I had almost forgotten that you knew how to work this part of the internet.Second of all, in order to give you the informed answer I think you will claim to deserve, I called up my go-to source for these sorts of issues: nutritionist and lifestyle guru to the MMA stars, Mike Dolce. According to the man behind the famed Dolce Diet, it’s actually not an unreasonable explanation at all, even if its credibility has been diminished by overuse lately. Since the supplement industry is essentially unregulated by any government agency, and since supplement companies can put almost anything they want in their products (at least until something bad happens and they get pulled from the shelves), many purposely include steroids, Dolce said, which leads to great results and word-of-mouth support from ambitious gym-goers. That’s why many of these supplements -- including S-Mass Lean Gainer, which Lawal said he used -- include marketing code words like "anabolic" and "designer.""It’s trying to give the savvy meathead a little nudge, saying come look at us instead of the other, legitimate supplements out there," Dolce said. "Typically, these companies are ones you don’t hear about too much. They don’t have a large marketing budget, so those are the little tricks they use to cater to the meathead crowd. When I was 19, I actually used to manage a GNC, and I’d see this stuff all the time."So how are you supposed to know if there are steroids or other banned substances in your supplements? "You don’t," Dolce said. "These guys really can get away with whatever they want until a government agency finally steps in and squeezes them. But by then they’ve made millions, so they change the formula, pay a fine that’s a very small percentage of their profits, then they fold their LLCs or what have you and move on to the next brand."This is why Dolce doesn’t recommend supplements to the fighters he works with, he said, and why his first order of business when a new client hires him is usually to get them off "the powders, pills, and potions." If you know what you’re doing, Dolce said, "you can find what you need in food, in earth-grown nutrients. That’s where it’s at. You can’t market and patent spinach."In other words, yes, it is totally possible that a supplement from a Max Muscle store caused Lawal to test positive for steroids. It’s also possible that fighters and other pro athletes have worn this excuse down to the nub, and now it’s nothing more than a convenient dodge. Either way, if you can’t be sure what’s in the stuff that you’re ingesting, and if your career could hinge on your ability to pass a drug test, maybe you should think before pumping yourself full of some chemical compound that uses terms like "anabolic" in its marketing materials. Just saying.

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Just days after his release from Strikeforce, Muhammed Lawal has apologized for calling the Nevada State Athletic Commission's Pat Lundvall "a racist b**ch" on Twitter, which led to the organization letting him go."I was out of line for calling the woman the 'b' word and I was wrong for that," Lawal told CSN California. "I was kind of mad about the comments, I was offended by the comments made towards me and I was out of line. I was too emotional. I apologize for that. With that being said, I still feel that I was offended, but I'm in the wrong for what I said." MMAFighting.com recently spoke to Lawal, who said he would release an official apology on his own to Lundvall in the near future. He added that he is still hopeful that Zuffa, the parent company of Strikeforce and the UFC, will give him another chance, but right now, his focus is on letting Lundvall know that he regrets his choice of words. "She's someones mother, daughter, sister or auntie," Lawal said. "if someone talked to my mom or sister or auntie like that, I would be very mad at that person. I hope she accepts my apology when I issue an official statement."Lawal went on to say in the video that the potentially life-threatening staph infection in his knee is healed and that he is on the road to recovery. He later got choked up when discussing how his new American Kickboxing Academy teammates visited him in the hospital while he was battling the staph infection.Check out the video interview below.

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LAS VEGAS -- It's beyond stunning that anyone has tried to rationalize the behavior of former Strikeforce light heavyweight contender Muhammed Lawal and his manager, Mike Kogan, in light of their actions during and after Tuesday's disciplinary hearing in front of the Nevada Athletic Commission. Lawal's situation is so vastly different from those of Miguel Torres , Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin and innumerable others who made, ahem, unwise public comments. On Jan. 17, Keith Kizer, the executive director of the Nevada commission, announced that Lawal had flunked a post-fight urinalysis following a Jan. 7 victory over Lorenz Larkin at the Hard Rock. Test results indicated he'd tested positive for the anabolic steroid Drostanolone. On Tuesday, the commission heard from Lawal and Kogan and then suspended Lawal for nine months and fined him $39,000. Afterward, Lawal went to Twitter and ripped commissioner Pat Lundvall, calling her in a now-deleted tweet, "a racist [expletive]." Lundvall is white and Lawal is black. Lawal wrote: I honestly feel like Lundvall was a racist [expletive] asking me if I can read or speak english Not long after Lawal's tweet, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker announced the promotion had released Lawal. Suddenly, it seemed, the MMA media was outraged. Specifically, many in the MMA media were apparently angered that Lawal was released by responding on Twitter to what he felt was an offensive question from Lundvall, who had asked him if he could read and understand English. In a roundtable discussion on MMA Fighting, veteran journalist Mike Chiappetta said: I can understand his anger for being asked such a degrading question. Luke Thomas, who was doing the roundtable with Chiappetta, said Lundvall had been "patronizing" toward Lawal. The very talented columnist Ben Fowlkes also took issue with Lundvall in his column on Sports Illustrated .com: The old "Do you understand the words coming out of my mouth?" routine is not a rhetorical device one employs in respectful conversation with an equal. It's something you do only when you know the other person has to sit there and take it. And my colleague at Cagewriter, Maggie Hendricks, attempted to compare Lawal's situation to that of Torres and Evans, among others. There were many others, but all missed the mark badly in their assessment of the situation. Finally, Kogan railed against Lundvall's line of questioning in a piece on MMA Junkie on Wednesday. Kogan told reporter Steven Marrocco that Lundvall's manner of questioning was inappropriate. There are ways to establish if a fighter understands what's going on or not. It was already done before the hearing even started. The very first thing they asked him was, 'Do you understand what's going on? Do you understand the charges against you? Do you understand you can be represented by [counsel]?' And he said yes. So to come back 20 minutes later and ask the man if he speaks and understands English is very offensive. Lundvall is a very prominent litigator in Nevada, a highly respected attorney at one of the state's top firms. She's hardly the "idiot" that she was made out to be by many of my media brethren who were all too quick to try to run to Lawal's rescue without considering what happened. First, Lundvall was doing what any legal questioner does. She was laying a foundation. She believed that Lawal had been dishonest. On a questionnaire he filled out at the weigh-in on Jan. 6, Lawal denied he had been injured or had taken any prescription or over-the-counter medications in the last two weeks. To the question that asked, "Have you had any injury to your knees, ankles, or feet that needed special evaluation/exam," Lawal checked no. Kogan had told Christopher Eccles, the Nevada deputy attorney general who represents the athletic commission, on Jan. 18 that Lawal took no supplements. In an email to Eccles the next day, Kogan reversed course and said Lawal had taken supplements. In his email to Eccles on Jan. 19, Kogan wrote: I guess I misspoke on the supplements that Mo takes my bad on that, I never seen him take any so I assumed he does not. We made a list of all the supplements and meds that he has taken some of them on regular bases as supplement, some temporality or intermittently and some were administered by the doctor that was taking care of his knee. Lundvall's reason for asking Lawal if he read and understood English is what lawyers do when they're building a case during questioning. She was boxing him in and leaving him no room. When he said yes, she asked about why he didn't disclose the knee injury on the questionnaire he filled out at the weigh-in and why he didn't mention he was taking something for it. It had zero racist intent. She was trying to expose that Lawal hadn't been forthcoming with the commission until he was forced to do so. It's also interesting to note that Lundvall uses the line of questioning frequently with fighters. On March 23,  2011, boxer Michael Shane Steele tested positive for an anabolic steroid. Steele, who is white, appeared before the commission on May 20, 2011, and underwent rigorous questioning from Lundvall. According to a commission transcript, the following exchange took place between Lundvall and Steele: Lundvall: Do you have any other information that you are willing to share with the Commission to explain why you tested positive for banned substances? Steele: None. Only the supplements I took and what I was trying to accomplish in taking them. Lundvall: Do you read English? Steele: Yes, ma'am. Lundvall: Do you understand the written word? Steele: Yes, I believe so. Lundvall used nearly identical language in speaking to Steele, who is white, as she did to Lawal, who is black. The point is, Lundvall wasn't talking down to Lawal or taunting him because of his race. She was trying to establish why he hadn't answered the questions truthfully. Lawal's case is different from the others because the others, such as Torres, Evans, Griffin and, yes, UFC president Dana White, only said or wrote something stupid. Lawal scored a hat trick of errors: • He flunked a drug test, which Torres, Evans and Griffin did not do. • He was untruthful on his questionnaire. • He made an outrageous and ill-advised comment on social media, attacking a prominent regulator. The move could come back to haunt the company. Lawal, I believe, is a good guy. He's quick with a quip and extraordinarily accessible to the media, which is why he's so beloved. But it doesn't matter if you're a good guy or not. The facts are the facts. Lundvall was only doing her job and White and the folks at Zuffa were only doing theirs when they cut Lawal. Hopefully, he'll be brought back at some point, like has happened to Torres, Nate Marquardt and so many others in the past. Let's go over this Mo was mistreated nonsense, though. He got what he deserved.

Posted in: commission, lawal, kogan, lundvall, steele

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From Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer newsletter: MMA fighter King Mo Lawal, who was suspended nine months by the Nevada Commission and then fired from Strikeforce by Dana White, is interested in joining WWE. Lawal has been a long-time pro wrestling fan and has expressed interest in joining WWE in the past. Gerald Brisco recruited Lawal years ago but it never worked out as Lawal wanted to compete in the Olympics. When he didn't make the Olympic team, he started MMA instead. Seems crazy to me, but then again I think anyone who willingly throws their body through the meatgrinder that is the WWE circuit is nuts. Let's see what sounds better: being on the road all the time performing over 150 times a year and maybe ... MAYBE ... making it to the point where you crack a six figure salary. OR stick to MMA, fight three times a year for at least 50k a pop plus sponsorships, and as a nice little bonus you get to keep your dignity. It's a good thing for Mo's career that these kinda WWE rumors almost never end up going anywhere.

Posted in: mma, time, year, wwe, lawal

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Tuesday was a bad day for “King” Mo Lawal as he was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission 9 months and fined $39,000 for using Performance Enhancing Drugs. To compound the suspension, Lawal took to twitter to vent which lead to Zuffa cutting Lawal. As you may recall, Lawal tested positive for PEDs after his last fight in Strikeforce in January.  The hearing before the Nevada State Athletic took place on Tuesday and it didn’t go well. Lawal was fined a total of $39,000 and suspended 9 months by the NSAC.  Also, his KO of Lorenz Larkin was ruled a No Contest. MMA Fighting reports that Strikeforce’s Scott Coker stated that the release was based upon the “subsequent reaction” by Lawal.  This is in reference to Lawal’s twitter rant after the hearing.  The tweets railed against a female member of the NSAC questioning Lawal as she asked if he could read and if he spoke English. Lawal took offense and some of his tweets reflected his disdain.  As a result, Zuffa notified Lawal’s management that the fighter had been let go. With Lawal’s termination came the uproar as to the lack of symmetry in doling out punishments by Zuffa.  But there is a code of conduct in fighters’ contracts. MMA Junkie provides the section in a Zuffa fighter’s contract regarding code of conduct: Section 9.1 of the Zuffa (or Forza, LLC for Strikeforce fighters) contract states: “Fighter shall conduct himself in accordance with commonly accepted standards of decency, social conventions and morals, and Fighter will not commit any act or become involved in any situation or occurrence or make any statement which will reflect negatively upon or bring disrepute, contempt, scandal, ridicule, or disdain to Fighter, the Identity of Fighter or any of Fighter’s Affiliates, FORZA or any of its officers, managers, members, employees, or agents. “Fighter’s conduct shall not be such as to shock, insult or offend the public or any organized group therein, or reflect unfavorably upon any current or proposed sponsor or such sponsor’s advertising agency, or any network or station over which a Bout is to be broadcast.” Payout Perspective: The termination issue here is based on Lawal’s tweets, something that has gotten UFC fighters in trouble in the past.  Recent memory will point us to Miguel Torres and his brief expulsion due to an off color tweet.  Also, Torres was taken back into the good graces of Zuffa less than a month after he was terminated. But Forrest Griffin had a controversial tweet about rape and was not punished.  Rashad Griffin made a topical, yet off-color remark about Phil Davis’ alma mater, Penn State in promoting their fight and was not punished either. As for the reason for the tweets, it’s certainly understandable for Lawal to be upset for the line of questioning about whether he could read and/or speak English. As an attorney that’s actually been in situations like this, feelings are hurt and it’s unfortunate that this happens in the profession.  After listening to the audio, it seems like Pat Lundvall was asking a line of questioning which would segue into further questioning.  Definitely, she could have asked different questions to get to the same point.  But, it appears that she may have been upset with the fact that Lawal did not actually fill out the questionnaire which she questioned Lawal about preceding the read and speak questions.  Honestly, I’m not even sure if she realized that the questions were condescending.  But that’s only speculation. The termination gives cause to pause about whether there should be a need to inform Zuffa fighters about its twitter policy (maybe implement one if one does not exist).  Zuffa could amend its code of conduct to specifically include social media use to spell it out to its fighters too.  For a tool it wishes, and in fact awards, its fighters for using, there needs to be some ground rules.  While it doesn’t want to restrict tweeting, fighters need to be smart about what they are tweeting.  Lawal has been through a difficult time and the tweets reflect his frustration.  But, he should have self-imposed a cooling period.  Stay off of twitter for a day so your tweets don’t get you into trouble. It’s one of the reasons why the media is not let into locker rooms immediately after a football/basketball game.  Players need to calm down lest they say something they regret. In the end, Lawal may still have a chance to comeback to Zuffa.  If he shows contrition for his tweets and accepts the suspension, Lawal still may land back in Strikeforce or even the UFC. One need only look to Miguel Torres.  You could even point to Nate Marquardt as a fighter exiled by the company only to return.

Posted in: strikeforce, fighter, zuffa, lawal, tweet

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Strikeforce and UFC fighters do have a code of conduct, contractually speaking. Whether the promotions' parent company, Zuffa LLC, evenly enforces the contract is another matter. But language built in to the standard agreement fighters sign when they join the company does establish a basis for decisions such the recent termination of former Strikeforce champion Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal.

Posted in: ufc fighters, lawal, code, lawals camp, conduct strikeforce

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Few fighters have ever had a stretch as rough as light heavyweight Muhammed Lawal over the past two months. Not only has “King Mo” been dealing with a recurring staph infection in one of his recently repaired knees nearly costing him life and limb, literally, but the former Strikeforce champion was fined $39,000 and suspended for nine months as the result of a failed drug test in January. If things weren’t bad enough, Lawal now finds himself without a professional home after calling a Nevada State Athletic Commission official a “racist bitch” on Twitter based on his displeasure with remarks made during his recent hearing. The error in judgement on such a public level was followed by his prompt release from Zuffa-owned Strikeforce. Lawal’s statements stemmed from the official questioning his ability to read/speak English properly. While condescending in tone, the assessment came while discussing Lawal’s failure to disclose his health issues on a NSAC questionnaire prior to fighting Lorenz Larkin earlier this year. “King Mo” Reveals How Serious Health Issues Really Were The 31-year old’s free agent status was confirmed by MMAJunkie as well as by Lawal who, in an interview with Bloody Elbow, stated, “Zuffa made a decision just off what was said on Twitter. I don’t know if they care what happened. I’m pretty sure they didn’t hear any of the audio. They just made a decision off what went down on Twitter. I’m pretty sure (NSAC Executive) Keith Kizer and certain people at the commission are mad and I didn’t mean any disrespect to Keith or the rest of the people in the commission. I just felt disrespected by that one person that asked if I could speak or read English. To me, that was a blatant insult.” Up next for Lawal is a continued recovery process after losing thirty pounds from his bout with staph with an inability to fight until at least September based on his suspension. Landing spots for Lawal once he is eligible to compete again include ONE FC, SFL, Bellator, or, as has been the case in similar situations, it always remains possible Zuffa could come calling if he apologizes properly. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE Tweet

Posted in: strikeforce, twitter, commission, lawal, health issues

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Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal had a very interesting day on Tuesday. The former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion stepped in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, was dealt a nine-month suspension and fined a large sum of money, and, eventually found out he had been released from Strikeforce by UFC president Dana White. In between all that, Lawal went on an Twitter outburst that likely helped in forcing Zuffa’s hand in releasing the talented fighter from the company. Following all of the exciting action, Lawal gave Stephie “Crooklyn” Daniels an exclusive interview where he talked about what went down with the NSAC and his eventual release from Strikeforce. It is what it is. Of course, I want to fight for Strikeforce and fight for Zuffa, but if they want to cut me for what I said, then I can’t take it back because it already happened. I have never been asked in such a condescending way if I could read or speak English like that. I did something wrong, so I can’t really say I’m being treated unfairly. I don’t know if it was excessive to cut me. Zuffa made a decision just off what was said on Twitter. I don’t know if they care what happened. I’m pretty sure they didn’t hear any of the audio. They just made a decision off what went down on Twitter. I’m pretty sure Keith Kizer and certain people at the commission are mad and I didn’t mean any disrespect to Keith or the rest of the people in the commission. I just felt disrespected by that one person that asked if I could speak or read English. To me, that was a blatant insult. This story has plenty of feedback already circulating around the MMA internet community. Was Zuffa right in releasing Lawal? Was “King Mo” out of line for his Twitter rants? Everyone seems to be picking a side and sticking to it. To hear Lawal’s NSAC hearing, follow this link courtesy of MMA Weekly. The official release information by the UFC can be viewed here, while Lawal’s manager, Mike Kogan, gives MMA Fighting an interview in regards to everything that went on here. Photo credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog

Posted in: strikeforce, twitter, zuffa, lawal, keith kizer

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Quite an interesting day yesterday. Former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem gets sentenced to community service for (allegedly) shoving a woman in the face in a Las Vegas nightclub. Then the Nevada State Athletic Commission suspends (former) Strikeforce light heavyweight Muhammed Lawal for nine months as well as fines him roughly $40,000. Of course, all of this is before Zuffa cut Lawal from his Strikeforce contract for controversial remarks he made about a member of the NSAC. Naturally, there's a lot to talk about. So, join me at 1 p.m. ET today as we discuss it all: should Lawal have been cut? Does Bellator's tournament model deserve to be changed? Remember, you can login to the awesome Scribblelive service using Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms. Or you can just register with Scribblelive. Either way, all I ask is you show up at 1 p.m. ET for the banter. Talk to you then.

Posted in: strikeforce, strikeforce contract, lawal, media platforms, scribblelive service

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"King" Mo Lawal was cut from Strikeforce yesterday . He received a suspension from the Nevada Athletic Commission for testing positive for a banned substance after his January win over Lorenz Larkin. Shortly after his hearing with the NAC, Lawal called a commissioner a racist b**** over Twitter. According to Strikeforce's Scott Coker, Lawal's reaction was to blame for the dismissal . Calling a woman the b-word is wrong, no matter the circumstances, which is exactly what I told Lawal yesterday. He's been a friend of mine since long before either of us were involved in MMA, so I told him what I would tell any friend of mine. If you don't want it said about your mother, you shouldn't say it about any woman. Though I don't know if I influenced his decision, he deleted the tweet not long after. What he tweeted was wrong, but he should not have lost his job, just like Miguel Torres should not have lost his job late last year. I didn't think Torres should have lost his job then , nor did I think Forrest Griffin should have lost his job over a tweet about rape , or Rashad Evans over his comment about child abuse , or Joe Rogan for calling me the c-word , or White f or calling MMA reporter Loretta Hunt the b-word. What every one of these cases called for is punitive action. Some combination of a reprimand, a fine that will benefit the aggrieved parties, a public apology, a suspension, and corrective action like sensitivity training would be more appropriate than being fired. The offender would be more likely to learn something from their offenses than if they suddenly have to look for a job, or if there had been little done about the offense. The problem, once again, is that Zuffa has no policy on fighter (and commentator) behavior. A fighter doesn't know if he's crossed the line until he's crossed it. Fighters can't even learn from each other's actions because there is no consistency on how incidents are treated. Considering how White called Hunt the same word that Lawal to describe the commissioner and then never apologized for it (he only apologized for using a slur against homosexuals ), how could Lawal know Zuffa would have a problem with it? The UFC usually holds their fighters' summit in June. It's the end of March. They have a few months to formulate a policy that is clear and fair to fighters.

Posted in: fighter, job, action, lawal, policy

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"King" Mo Lawal was cut from Strikeforce yesterday. He received a suspension from the Nevada Athletic Commission for testing positive for a banned substance after his January win over Lorenz Larkin. Shortly after his hearing with the NAC, Lawal called … Continue reading →

Posted in: lorenz larkin, lawal, zuffa policy, nac lawal, strikeforce yesterday

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They say bad news comes in threes. But if that's the case, King Mo Lawal must be terrified right now. Truthfully it would be hard to top what just took place. Literally weeks after a prolonged, intensely life-threatening bout with staph, Lawal appeared in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday, hoping to plead his case in the positive steroid test that derailed his career. Of course, not only did his words fall on deaf ears -- Mo received a nine month suspension, was fined 30-percent of his $80,000 fight purse and forced to surrender his $15,000 win bonus -- he was also incredulously asked if he had the ability to read or understand English by commission official Pat Lundvall. (Check out the audio of the meeting.) Now, regardless of whether or not you think there were racist undertones in Lundvall's sentiment, you have to admit it's an outrageously condescending remark for an official to make. So Lawal, who, again, just nearly died less than a month ago, snapped a bit and posted the exchange on Twitter, unfortunately referring to Lundvall as "a racist b***h." And yeah, he was fired. Brutal day. 5 MUST-READ STORIES King Mo suspended by NSAC, cut by Strikeforce. Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal was suspended for nine months and fined $39,000 by the NSAC on Tuesday afternoon. After which, a seething Lawal took to Twitter, calling commission member Pat Lundvall "a racist b****" for asking if he was able to "read or speak english." Lawal was then promptly cut from Strikeforce, according to a press release issued by promotion CEO Scott Coker. Alistair Overeem sentenced after battery charge in Las Vegas. UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem was sentenced to 50 hours of community service and anger-management counseling, stemming from a battery charge at a Las Vegas nightclub on New Year's weekend. Overeem will be forced to undergo a mandatory 90-day jail sentence if he fails to complete the terms of his sentencing. UFC 146 combatants face surprise drug tests. All six fighters who appeared at Tuesday's UFC 146 press conference -- Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, Cain Velasquez, Frank Mir, Antonio Silva and Roy Nelson -- were issued surprise drug tests following the proceedings, courtesy of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. UFC drawing strong ratings for TUF Brazil, dealing with alleged leak. The debut episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil drew an astounding 8 millions viewers on Globo TV, despite allegations of Brazilian news outlet R7 leaking the names of the four finalists. For retired fighters, health care can be a tricky, costly issue. Ben Fowlkes sat down with a slew of former and current fighters to discuss the precarious issue of health insurance in mixed martial arts. MEDIA STEW After everything he just went through, it would be heartless to keep piling on King Mo. So instead, check out Lawal destroying Mark Kerr in an M-1 Global heavyweight bout back in 2009. Legendary trainer Freddie Roach offered up his top five boxers in MMA yesterday, so today he flipped the switch, listing off the top five guys in boxing history who would have thrived inside the cage. Notice a certain Pretty Boy is conspicuously absent. Is there every a bad time to see a spinning back kick KO? Dennis Siver says no. Our own Ariel Helwani finally got his grudge match against Kenny Florian in another edition of FUEL's 'Fighter vs. Writer' segment. Who takes it on your scorecards? CALM BEFORE THE STORM I shoulda stayed home! Lol. NSAC had they mind made up b4 we got there! Lol. All the research we did and disclosed to em! They ignored! LOL — King Mo (@KingMoFH) March 27, 2012 MIESHA TATE VS. THE INTERNET Why is it ppl are so fake they feel good about talkin sh** 2 me behind a computer when they don't have 1/100th of the balls 2 do what I do? — Miesha Tate (@MieshaTate) March 28, 2012 I swear I just don't get it, I go out I fight hard & I let my arm snap in half in my best effort to win a fight, I came up short but...... — Miesha Tate (@MieshaTate) March 28, 2012 .... I guarantee I'm tougher than ALL you keyboard warriors! Go ahead talk SH** Id like to see YOU do it better — Miesha Tate (@MieshaTate) March 28, 2012 FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS Announced yesterday (Tuesday, March 27, 2012): - UFC 149: Court McGee (13-2) vs. Nick Ring (12-1) - UFC on FX 3: Seth Baczynski (15-6) vs. Lance Benoist (6-0) - Bellator 63: Marianna Kheyfets (5-0) vs. Munah Holland (3-1) - Bellator 63: Dan Cramer (7-3) vs. Jeff Nader (5-4) - Bellator 63: Andrey Koreshkov (8-0) vs. Taiwan Howard (9-8) - Bellator 63: Saul Almeida (12-1) vs. Matt Bessette (7-3) - Bellator 63: Parker Porter (5-3) vs. Randy Smith (14-10) - Bellator 63: Ryan Quinn (6-3-1) vs. Marc Stevens (14-6) - Bellator 63: Pete Rogers (0-0) vs. Brandon Fleming (0-0) FANPOST OF THE DAY Today's Fanpost of the Day is a set of criteria to determine the merits of an American wrestler, via Bloody Elbow's VirginiaRaider: What makes a wrestler "world class" Some time ago, there was an article posted on BE discussing Pat Barry's oft touted "K-1 level" striking abilities and what this really entailed when put into proper perspective. The same ought to be done for "world class wrestling" a term tossed about liberally by certain Mixed Martial Arts commentators. It is important to define the term "world class" (WC for the purposes of this post) in a way which excludes the vast majority of wrestlers, otherwise the term becomes totally impotent. Unfortunately, defining WC is difficult but I believe that this post establishes reasonable parameters for the WC label as it applies to American wrestlers. The first step in defining WC is limiting the number of wrestling styles in consideration. First to be excluded are any styles that involve submissions or the use of clothing. This is a matter of the conventional use of "wrestling" by the previously mentioned commentators. This then removes Judo and all forms of gi or no-gi grappling/submission wrestling. Second, World Class status can only be reasonably be conferred on a practitioner of a style which is contested throughout most of the world. Applying this restriction excludes all "folk-style" forms of wrestling, including American scholastic or folk-style. The only styles of wrestling which are non-clothed, non-submission, and experience truly world-wide participation are Freestyle and Greco-Roman, the Olympic wrestling disciplines. For this reason the WC tag should only be hung on a wrestler based on his achievements in the Olympic wrestling styles. Found something perfect for the Morning Report? Just hit me on Twitter @shaunalshatti and we'll include it in tomorrow's post.

Posted in: bellator, vs, mo, king, lawal

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Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal had a rough Tuesday after first being handed his punishment by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for his positive steroid test following a win over Lorenz Larkin earlier this year and then being cut by Strikeforce based on some inflammatory follow-up comments the 31-year old made on Twitter regarding a NSAC official. Along with having the victory changed to a No Contest, Lawal was dealt a nine-month suspension and fined 30 percent of his salary for competing and his entire win bonus of $15,000 for a grand total of thirty-nine grand. Lawal tested positive for an over-the-counter supplement he purchased at a nutrition/fitness store. However, the NSAC did not feel like that was a good enough reason to let Lawal slide, informing him he needed to be more careful of what he puts in his body. While the suspension will run out in September, it remains unknown when Lawal will be anywhere near healthy enough to return to training and active competition inside the cage. He was likely set to compete for the vacant divisional title prior to the situation, but that will not happen anytime soon, especially in light of his sudden release. After one of the NSAC members asked him if he understood English after failing to disclose his full medical condition on a pre-fight questionnaire which prompted Lawal to call her a “racist bitch” on Twitter. Clearly the reaction struck a chord with his employers at Zuffa who severed professional ties with him shortly thereafter (as confirmed by MMAJunkie). Currently, Lawal is battling his way back from a nasty staph infection nearly taking his leg and ultimately life. Lawal has been in and out of the hospital following knee surgery as a result and lost thirty pounds. (Brendhan Conlan Contributed to This Report) PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: strikeforce, lorenz larkin, lawal, nsac, overthecounter supplement

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Social media can be a wonderful thing. It's a great networking tool that makes this big, big world a much smaller place. But there's a flip side to that coin. It's also a tad too easy to have something go wrong at your place of employment and rush home to tweet about your misfortunes. And if you don't have much of a filter to begin with? That's as good as a death sentence. Which brings us to Muhammed Lawal, who was released from his Strikeforce contract last night (March 27, 2012) for remarks he made on his Twitter account regarding a certain member of the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). The short version: A chairperson named Pat Lundvall asked Lawal if he speaks English and can read, Lawal thought it was one of the most disrespectful things he had ever been asked, he was punished severely by the commission, and he quickly tweeted that Lundvall was a racist bitch for asking him that question. He later deleted the tweet but the damage had been done and the powers that be at Zuffa felt it was time to say goodbye. But considering others have tweeted just as insensitively in the past, does "King Mo" feel as though he's being treated unfairly? BloodyElbow.com got the answer: "It is what it is. Of course, I want to fight for Strikeforce and fight for Zuffa, but if they want to cut me for what I said, then I can't take it back because it already happened. I have never been asked in such a condescending way if I could read or speak English like that. I did something wrong, so I can't really say I'm being treated unfairly. I don't know if it was excessive to cut me. "Right now, I just want people to understand that I went in there respectfully and that I'm not playing the race card. I'm too old to play the race card. I'm established on the West Coast now and since I've been out here, I haven't experienced much racism. I've experienced some stereotypes and small prejudices here and there, but other than that, no, I haven't experienced too much, compared to when I was in the South. The woman's comments reminded me of times when I experienced racial insensitivity from other people. "Zuffa made a decision just off what was said on Twitter. I don't know if they care about what happened. I'm pretty sure they didn't hear any of the audio. They just made a decision off what went down on Twitter. I'm pretty sure Keith Kizer and certain people at the commission are mad and I didn't mean any disrespect to Keith or the rest of the people in the commission. I just felt disrespected by that one person that asked if I could speak or read English." He's clear as can be that he wasn't trying to play the race card ... even though he flat out called Lundvall a "racist bitch" for asking him a question that was, admittedly enough, rather disrespectful. Either way, the situation was handled poorly by Lawal from the moment he left the hearing. It's a tough break, too, considering all the other issues the former Strikeforce champion is currently dealing with. On top of his nine month suspension and $39,000 fine, "King Mo" has had to deal with up to 16 knee surgeries this year alone. To that end, the time off is not only desirable, it's necessary. But when he's recovered and ready to come back, will it be under the Zuffa banner? How he handles this situation moving forward will likely determine that. So far, he's on the right track.

Posted in: zuffa, commission, lawal, he, im

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“King” Mo Lawal’s day just went from bad to truly awful. After being fined and suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission in a hearing on Tuesday afternoon, the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion has been released from the organization. The news was first reported by MMAJunkie.com, and confirmed by Lawal’s manager, Mike Kogan, to MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani.In a brief statement over email, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker wrote only, "Following the outcome of today's hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission and his subsequent reaction, STRIKEFORCE has released Muhammad Lawal from his contract." When reached for comment on Tuesday evening, Lawal told MMA Fighting that he thought his comments on Twitter aimed at NSAC commissioner Pat Lundvall were the root cause of his release. In a tweet that has since been deleted, Lawal referred to Lundvall as a “racist b--ch” for asking him if he could speak and read English when he filled out the pre-fight questionnaire. The commission suggested that Lawal hadn’t been forthcoming in his answers about injuries and medications he’d taken before the fight, and the accusation bothered him, as he told MMA Fighting earlier today. On Tuesday evening Lawal explained his Twitter reaction, saying, “When I showed up to the hearing, I proved that I can speak and I can read. I don’t know when, but she got mad at me, got irritated, and was like, ‘Look, can you speak and read English?’ Now to me, that’s an insult.”He added, “Growing up through high school and college, I’d get asked, ‘Do you speak English instead of jive? Do you speak English instead of ebonics?’ For a grown woman to talk to me like that, knowing I’m a college graduate, born in America? I grew up in the south, in Tennessee, went to Oklahoma State, traveled the world, and for her to talk to me like that, that’s disrespectful.” Earlier on Tuesday, the NSAC voted to suspend Lawal for nine months and fine him a total of $39,000 for his positive drug test for the steroid drostanolone following his win over Lorenz Larkin in a Strikeforce event on Jan. 7. The suspension is retroactive to the date of the fight, leaving him eligible to re-apply for licensing in September of 2012.

Posted in: strikeforce, nevada state, state, tuesday, lawal

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Muhammed 'King Mo' Lawal's day on Tuesday went from bad to worse after receiving his punishment from the Nevada Athletic Commission as he was then released from his Strikeforce contract.

Posted in: strikeforce, mo, king, lawal, muhammed

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On this edition of The MMA (After) Hour, we spoke to Mike Kogan, Muhammed Lawal's manager, about his release from Strikeforce, today's hearing, the questions from the commissioner that led to Lawal's controversial tweet and what this means for Lawal going forward. Before listening, definitely check out the audio of today's exchange between Lawal and the NSAC's Pat Lundvall, courtesy of MMAWeekly.com. The most important part is at the 6:45 mark. Listen to the Kogan interview after the jump or download the audio here . The MMA (After) Hour: Mike Kogan Interview

Posted in: mma, hour, mike, lawal, kogan

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It hasn't been a banner year for former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Muhammed Lawal. Not at all. "King Mo" tested positive for steroids following a knockout win over Lorenz Larkin earlier this year, then contracted such a serious staph infection that he didn't care if he died, was fined $39,000 and suspended for nine months from mixed martial arts (MMA) competition for "taking his punishment like a man" and now has been handed his official walking papers. That's right, Zuffa -- the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Strikeforce -- has released Lawal from his contract because of the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) ruling this afternoon, as well as Lawal's immediate reaction to hearing the news. Strikeforce Scott Coker issued the following statement via MMAFighting.com: "Following the outcome of today's hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission and his subsequent reaction, STRIKEFORCE has released Muhammad Lawal from his contract." The "reaction" refers to Lawal branding NSAC Chairperson Pat Lundvall a "racist bitch" for her line of questioning during the hearing, who inquired whether or not the former Oklahoma State University wrestling standout could "read or speak English." It clearly rubbed Lawal, who was born and bred in the southern United States, the wrong way and "reminded him of negative past experiences." Lawal has since removed the controversial rant on Twitter, which is the wrong place to vent frustrations and make outrageous statements. Just ask Miguel Torres, who was notoriously cut -- and then re-hired -- for his tasteless "rape van" joke. On the flip side, the good news is that Torres, as well as Nate Marquardt, are living (and recent) examples that a Zuffa release is not the end of the line. He'll have more than enough time to get healthy, return to form and ply his trade elsewhere. Let's also remember that Lawal is a fan-favorite in Japan. So, too, is Quinton Jackson, who recently requested -- and was granted -- his UFC release once he satisfies one more fight for the promotion. Perhaps the pair, who can't stand each other, are now on a collision course to throwdown in the "Land of the Rising Sun" in early 2013. Sometimes these things happen for a reason.

Posted in: strikeforce, nevada state, state, lawal, reaction

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Well, it seems like Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal’s suspension for a testing positive for steroids will cost him even more than the fines handed down by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, as UFC president Dana White told Steven Marrocco and John Morgan of MMA Junkie that he has cut Lawal from Strikeforce. White would not elaborate on the decision to cut Lawal, but it is likely due to the outburst he issued on Twitter following the decision by NSAC. Lawal wrote on his Twitter account Tuesday, “I honestly feel like (NSAC commissioner Pat) Lundvall was a racist (expletive) asking me if I can read or speak english. Go on somewhere with that (expletive)!!!” Lawal was issued a nine-month suspension and fined part of his purse from a win over Lorenz Larkin earlier this year. However, that victory was later changed to a no-contest due to the positive steroid test by Lawal. With this latest news, it remains unknown what will happen to Lawal in terms of fighting in MMA again. Photo credit: Esther Lin/MMA Fighting

Posted in: lorenz larkin, twitter, lawal, ninemonth suspension, nsac commissioner

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“King” Mo Lawal’s day just went from bad to truly awful. After being fined and suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission in a hearing on Tuesday afternoon, the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion has been released from the organization. The news was first reported by MMAJunkie.com, and confirmed by Lawal’s manager, Mike Kogan, to MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani.In a brief statement over email, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker wrote only, "Following the outcome of today's hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission and his subsequent reaction, STRIKEFORCE has released Muhammad Lawal from his contract." When reached for comment on Tuesday evening, Lawal told MMA Fighting that he thought his comments on Twitter aimed at NSAC commissioner Pat Lundvall were the root cause of his release. In a tweet that has since been deleted, Lawal referred to Lundvall as a “racist b--ch” for asking him if he could speak and read English when he filled out the pre-fight questionnaire. The commission suggested that Lawal hadn’t been forthcoming in his answers about injuries and medications he’d taken before the fight, and the accusation bothered him, as he told MMA Fighting earlier today. On Tuesday evening Lawal explained his Twitter reaction, saying, “When I showed up to the hearing, I proved that I can speak and I can read. I don’t know when, but she got mad at me, got irritated, and was like, ‘Look, can you speak and read English?’ Now to me, that’s an insult.”He added, “Growing up through high school and college, I’d get asked, ‘Do you speak English instead of jive? Do you speak English instead of ebonics?’ For a grown woman to talk to me like that, knowing I’m a college graduate, born in America? I grew up in the south, in Tennessee, went to Oklahoma State, traveled the world, and for her to talk to me like that, that’s disrespectful.” Earlier on Tuesday, the NSAC voted to suspend Lawal for nine months and fine him a total of $39,000 for his positive drug test for the steroid drostanolone following his win over Lorenz Larkin in a Strikeforce event on Jan. 7. The suspension is retroactive to the date of the fight, leaving him eligible to re-apply for licensing in September of 2012.

Posted in: strikeforce, nevada state, tuesday, lawal, hearing

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It seems that 'King' Muhammed Lawal's comments on twitter might have caught up with him today. According to MMA Junkie, he was released from Strikeforce by Dana White. White didn't supply any reasoning, only confirming the release from the promotion. This comes on the heels of Mo's suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission earlier today, and his comments on twitter that followed. Mo did an interview with Crooklyn that was just posted on the site, but he didn't know about his release at the time of the interview. Lawal is a former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion that has been dealing with a variety of health issues of late in addition to his NSAC suspension. He is suspended for nine months from the day of his last fight with Lorenz Larkin (which was flipped to a no-contest) and was fined $39,000 of his purse. Bloody Elbow will relay whatever Mo has to say regarding his release as soon as he is available to speak on the issue.

Posted in: lorenz larkin, release, mo, lawal, didnt supply

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Dana White confirmed this news to mmajunkie.com today but did not give specifics as to the cause for Lawal's release. Muhammed has certainly had an awfully bad run of things lately considering his positive test after his fight with Lorenz Larkin, had microfracture surgery and suffered multiple flushings and operations after that due to an infection and just today was fined $39,000 along with a 9 month suspension from the aforementioned positive test. After Lawal's hearing today he had this to say about NSAC commisioner Pat Lundvall: I honestly feel like Lundvall was a racist bitch asking me if I can read or speak english, Go on somewhere with that [expletive]!!! This to me is a pretty clear case of "it is not what you say but how you say it". If Mo had a problem with what was said to him ( I don't blame him for feeling offended) he really should have just talked about it rationally, without name calling and swearing. Just posing an open ended question about it to a few media outlets or on Twitter would have accomplished a much more positive result (pun not intended). Lashing out in this juvenile manner may have cost him his job and I can't say I blame Zuffa for giving him the boot. Surely there will be much more on this to come in the following days. HT: MMAJunkie

Posted in: lorenz larkin, today, lawal, mmajunkiecom today, nsac commisioner

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This is a guest post by Stephie "Crooklyn" Daniels. Follow Stephie on Twitter @CrooklynMMA. Following today's athletic commission hearing, which saw former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, Muhammed Lawal fined $39,000 and suspended for nine months, Lawal took to Twitter in anger at his treatment during the hearing. I was able to get a short, on the spot interview to get the details on what prompted his comments.Steph Daniels: Who were you addressing in your Twitter posts, and why were you upset?Mo Lawal: It was the woman at the hearing, but I can't remember her name (ed note, it's Pat Lundvall). She asked a question that I felt was worded kind of funny. She asked if I did research for my training. I didn't get what she meant by the question, and she rolled her eyes and asked, 'Do you speak English? Can you read?' First she wanted to know if I had access to a laptop computer. I said, 'Yes, I do.' Then she asked about researching my training. I said, 'What?' That's when she rolled her eyes and asked if I could read or write. I told her, 'No, I have coaches and trainers that do that.'The way she came at me was out of line. I was up front, and answered every question they asked. More coverage of the King Mo suspension: 'King Mo' Lawal Suspended Nine Months, Fined $39,000 For Failed Drug Test | Strikeforce Interview: 'King' Mo Lawal Gives Update On Health And Career | Strikeforce's Muhammed 'King Mo' Lawal Says Over The Counter Supplement Caused Steroid Test Failure | 'King' Mo Lawal Tests Positive For Steroids After Strikeforce Bout SD: Was anybody else on the panel rude or inappropriate to you?ML: There was another guy on the panel that accused me of perjuring myself on the medicals. He said, 'So you lied on the medicals by saying you weren't injured? Didn't you have a torn ACL?' I told him that my ACL had been torn for so long, that I didn't even consider it an injury any more. When I found out about it from the doctor, he said it had been torn for a while, but I didn't know about it because it wasn't hindering my training, except for some swelling. The whole reason why I went in to get my knee cleaned up was because I didn't want osteoarthritis to set in, and we all know how that went for me. My definition of being injured, as an athlete, is a lot different than someone that's just a spectator.I feel that was the main reason they threw the book at me. Because they felt that I perjured myself on the pre-fight medical questionnaire. I was honest and truthful with them. I gave them all the information we had gathered. They didn't even look at it. I even brought the supplement bottle to show them the writing on the label had nothing on there indicating it had steroid substances in it. It just says 'Sports supplement.' They declined to look at it when I offered it to them. I don't think they even cared.My purpose for being there was to show them that I didn't intentionally seek out any type of performance enhancing drugs. That was my goal, and I did that. I told my side of the story. If they don't believe me, it's on them. I think they already had their minds made up. It is what it is.Interview continued after the jump. SD: Has anyone from ZUFFA contacted you or your management about the tweets you put out following the hearing?ML: They contacted Mike (Kogan, Mo's manager), saying that I should never have called her a bitch. I wasn't calling her a bitch, the way you would say that to a female. To me, anybody can be a bitch. I meant it as saying she was cranky. I guess I should have said 'the cranky female', but the way she spoke to me, come on. That reminds me of stuff I used to hear in high school and college. If you don't come from the South and been the minority, it's hard to understand where I'm coming from. 'Speak English.' Nobody has every come to you and said that, but it's happened to me plenty of times. It rubbed me the wrong way, and to be honest, it hurt me.I feel like she pre-judged me by the way I was dressed too. Obviously, I couldn't wear a suit. I mean, I have a fanny pack with a wound vac in it that has tubes running down to my knee. That has to run 24/7 for another week. I still have a PICC line in, and full wound dressings on my knee, so I'm limited on what I can wear with all that. I'm not saying she's a racist, but I feel like she pre-judged me in a sense, and I didn't like that.SD: They fined you $39,000. Will this create a financial hardship on you?ML: Anytime you give up money, it's hard. I guess I'm gonna find out. I went there and faced my punishment like a man. I could've stayed home and just not gone and let this happen as it would, but I went and faced them, and was willing to face punishment. They were like 'Nine months, $39,000', and it was the woman. She sat back, crossed her arms, rolled her eyes, put up the punishment, 'All in favor?' The all agreed in favor, and that was it.SD: What will you do with all this time off?ML: Just heal up, and then get back into training. Bust ass and train. I'm going to get with Coach Jackson at Iowa State, my AKA team, Greco coach Shon Lewis and Mike Passenier. I'm gonna get with him too.SD: When I was wrapping the interview, Mo had one last thing to add:ML: People try to say I'm playing the racist card. I'm not saying that. I go off my past experiences, and when someone rolls their eyes and asks if you can read or speak English, when I've already been answering their questions and speaking, in English, there's a problem. It rubbed me the wrong way, and reminded me of my negative past experiences. She might be a good woman. Maybe she's just that way at work. Who knows.Follow Mo via his Twitter @KingMoFH

Posted in: way, mo, lawal, im, didnt

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As we reported earlier today, former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion "King Mo" Muhammed Lawal met today with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The commission handed down a 9 month suspension, $39,000 fine, and changed his win over Lorenz Larkin to a No Contest, all as a result of Mo testing positive for the banned substance Drostanolone. Lawal appeared today to plead his case, stating that the positive result came as a result of taking an over the counter supplement called S-Mass Lean Gainer. But the commission didn't buy it. After the hearing, a clearly frustrated Lawal took to Twitter, partially to defend himself, and partially to attack the commission. First, Mo let out his frustration, and much of it was aimed at commission member Pat Lundvall. Just a note - I've edited Mo's post to remove the profanity. I honestly feel like Lundvall was a racist bitch asking me if I can read or speak english. Go on somewhere with that bull---- bitch!!! A few hours later, Mo had (moderately) cooled and posted this: Its funny how people are tryna say that I'm callin the commission racist. No!! They aren't. But there was one person on the panel that was out of line with the question she asked me. I found it insulting, prejudice, and a lil racist. I say racist from my past experiences. Mo's anger towards Lundvall stems from a comment she made during the hearing where she asked the fighter if he could speak or read English. That's the question he refers to above, and what he perceived as racist. Obviously, I can't say if Lundvall meant to be racist, but clearly she did mean to insult Mo, which is not the best stance for a commissioner to take during a hearing. Mo's frustration is understandable, but to publicly call her a "racist bitch" is by no means an appropriate response either, and one that only fuels the fire. This ends up being one of those situations where no one comes out looking good. Unfortunately for Mo, these comments will undoubtedly be the big talking point from today, which means his actual argument will get lost along the way. But that argument is worth a look. Basically, as Mo explained, he believes the real issue here is intent: intent...I had no intentions of takin a band substance. Methyl Drastonolone is a pill form of the injectable. I didn't kno S Mass Lean Gainer had it in it. All the websites that pull up on it were made the same month it was pulled off the market. July 2011...intent matters. Nobody is perfect. I had the supplement b4 there was any info on it. So u tellin me every month all fighters should go to the internet to see if their supplements are legal? Btw...they don't send out press releases when they find new banned substances!! This is an interesting point, but it also gets into a tricky area. On the one hand, Mo is correct (assuming he is being forthright here) - he did not have the intent to take a banned substance. On the other hand, "ignorance of the law does not excuse" - a basic tenant of the legal system which states that simply not knowing the law does not let you off the hook should you break it. And for now, it looks like that's the view of the NSAC as well. More coverage of the King Mo suspension: 'King Mo' Lawal Suspended Nine Months, Fined $39,000 For Failed Drug Test Strikeforce Interview: 'King' Mo Lawal Gives Update On Health And Career Strikeforce's Muhammed 'King Mo' Lawal Says Over The Counter Supplement Caused Steroid Test Failure 'King' Mo Lawal Tests Positive For Steroids After Strikeforce Bout

Posted in: commission, mo, king, lawal, counter supplement

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As if the day could not get any worse for Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, it actually has, as he has been released from his contract with Strikeforce by UFC President Dana White. This comes following the announcement of his suspension and fine by the Nevada Athletic Commission. Following the announcement, Lawal went to Twitter to share his feelings on the move, which ended up causing his release from the organization. MMAJunkie.com first reported the move, which came just hours after Lawal actually spoke out on his suspension. While he mentioned the trip to Las Vegas for his hearing was a waste of time, he did not seem angry about the decision. However, on his twitter, Lawal was much more emotional. “I honestly feel like [Pat] Lundvall was a racist bitch asking me if I can read or speak English,” wrote Lawal. “Go on somewhere with that bulls*** bitch!!!” Lawal clarified his original statement, stating “Its funny how people are trying say that I’m calling the commission racist. No!! They aren’t. But there was one person on the panel that was out of line with the question she asked me. I found it insulting, prejudice, and a little racist. I say racist from my past experiences, I have been asked that in the past as an insult.” Because of these statements, White has decided to cut Lawal from the organization, which is run by Zuffa, which also owns the UFC. This comes just months after Miguel Torres was released from the UFC following a twitter post of his own. Torres was brought back by the organization just weeks after being released after publicly apologizing for the remark. Earlier in the day, Lawal was suspended for nine months, fined $39,000, and had his victory over Lorenz Larkin in January overturned to a no-contest. Unfortunately for Lawal, that was not the worst news he was given today.

Posted in: ufc, twitter, miguel torres, lawal, organization

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In another devastating blow, former Strikeforce champ Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal has been released from his Strikeforce contract. UFC president Dana White today confirmed the news to MMAjunkie.com but declined to comment on the release. Following a nine-month suspension issued today by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Lawal lashed out on Twitter, which led to his ouster.

Posted in: president, nevada state, lawal, ninemonth suspension, commission lawal

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The Nevada State Athletic Commission has ruled on the case of Muhammed Lawal, suspending the Strikeforce light heavyweight for nine months in addition to wiping a win off his record and fining him nearly $40,000. The punishment was a result of Lawal testing positive for steroid use after a January fight against Lorenz Larkin. While many fighters would deny the possibility of a banned substance being in their system, Lawal was very upfront about the cause of his hit, saying it stemmed from an over-the-counter supplement he’d purchased that has since been associated with Drostanolone. However, in the eyes of the NSAC his transparency apparently meant very little. Lawal Details Source of Positive Drug Test In terms of specifics, “King Mo” was forced to pay back his $15,000 win bonus (as the strike-based stoppage was changed to a No Contest based on the infraction) as well as 30% of his $80,000 purse for showing. His suspension is retroactive to January meaning he will be eligible to reapply for a license in September though it is unlikely Lawal will be ready to fight by then based on his ongoing recovery from a life-threatening bout of staph infection. Lawal holds an 8-1 overall record with impressive wins over Roger Gracie and Gegard Mousasi. Unfortunately he has been plagued with health issues, specifically regarding his knees, and has only fought three times since January 2010. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: january, gegard mousasi, drug test, lawal, lifethreatening bout

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The Nevada State Athletic Commission handed down a steep punishment for Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal on Tuesday, fining him $39,000 and dealing him a nine-month suspension. Lawal appeared before the commission in hopes of receiving a less sentence after testing positive for steroids following his win over Lorenz Larkin in Strikeforce earlier this year. The fight – which Lawal won – was changed to a no-contest. The former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion will have to complete a pre-fight drug test once his suspension is up in September before he can compete in the state of Nevada and gain back his fight license. Currently, Lawal is battling back from a serious Staph infection that came about following knee surgery. Thanks to MMA Weekly’s Damon Martin for all the insight on what went down in the proceedings. Lawal was very supportive in the decision by NSAC, appearing before them and offering up these words. I appreciate you letting me come and tell my side of the story, and whatever punishment you all took for me, I’m a man, and I’ll take it like a man. Lawal admitted to taking the banned substance, but said he purchased it at a general fitness store and assumed it was legal. The commissioners suggested that he be more responsible for what he puts in his body. This seems like a sound suspension for Lawal, as he has admitted his mistake and seems ready to move on. Considering it is his first offense, expect Strikeforce to remain high on him as long as his knees hold up and the infections remain under control. Photo credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog

Posted in: strikeforce, lorenz larkin, suspension, lawal, fight license

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"It's whatever" is what former Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal told MMAjunkie.com not long after the Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended him for failing a post-fight drug test. But that dismissive statement covers Lawal's anger at the commission over what he feels was a predetermined outcome at a meeting held today in Las Vegas. "I don't think anybody gets a fair shake when it comes to anything in Vegas," Lawal said.

Posted in: vega, nevada state, lawal, dismissive statement, vegas lawal

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Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal ‘s fate was handed down to him at a hearing held by the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Monday. The hammer was dropped on the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion. Lawal appeared before the commission to answer for a positive steroid test stemming from his Jan. 7 bout and win over Lorenz Larkin in Strikeforce. The former champion explained to the commission that he had taken a supplement sold to him at a general fitness store, but was unaware that the ingredients could potentially lead to a positive drug...

Posted in: lorenz larkin, nevada state, commission, lawal, nevada commission

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Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion "King" Mo Lawal got his day in court with the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday, but he’ll go home $39,000 poorer as a result of it.The NSAC voted to suspend Lawal for nine months as a result of a positive steroid test following his Jan. 7 win over Lorenz Larkin. It also voted to take his $15,000 win bonus, and fine him 30 percent of his $80,000 show purse -- a total penalty of $39,000 on the $95,000 he made for the bout. The result of the fight was also changed from a TKO win for Lawal to a ‘no contest.’According to Lawal, the outcome of the hearing wasn’t necessarily a shock, but it also didn’t necessarily seem fair to him to have commission members accuse him of misrepresenting the extent of his knee injury coming into the bout, he said."They come out hard on everybody," Lawal told MMA Fighting moments after the hearing concluded. "Pretty much, when you come to [an NSAC hearing], you’re going to lose. That’s how I see it. I feel like they tried to twist my words a little bit by saying that I was injured coming into the fight. ...All fighters have some types of bumps and bruises, but I felt like I came into that fight pretty good. I mean, you couldn’t tell that I had unstable cartilage, could you?" Since testing positive for the steroid Drostanolone, Lawal and manager Mike Kogan have repeatedly claimed that a nutritional supplement -- S-Mass Lean Gainer -- was the real culprit. But the commission seized on Lawal’s failure to disclose his usage of the supplement and the lingering knee injury that he says necessitated it, and ultimately decided not to grant him leniency.To hear Lawal tell it, what bothered him more than the fine and the suspension was the suggestion that he had lied about his knee injury or attempted to gain an unfair advantage."The whole cheating [accusation], their attitude about that, that’s what got me," Lawal said. "I feel like I just wasted my time there, to be honest with you."The nine-month suspension is retroactive to the date of the fight, meaning that Lawal can re-apply for a license in September of 2012. Lawal estimated he wouldn’t be physically ready to fight before next fall anyway, thanks to issues stemming from a staph infection he contracted following knee surgery in January. The infection is now "pretty much gone," according to Lawal, but after losing 30 pounds in the last couple months he still has a lengthy rehab ahead of him.As for what he learned from his day with the NSAC? The takeaway lesson there is a simple one, Lawal said."My advice to anyone dealing with the [Nevada State Athletic] Commission is, just do it over the phone. Don’t waste your time coming to Vegas, because you will get got. I had a few people tell me that, to just do it over the phone. Maybe I should have listened to them, but I felt like I needed to come tell my side of the story and I did. It made no difference."

Posted in: fight, knee, commission, knee injury, lawal

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Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed Lawal, who tested positive for the anabolic steroid Drostanolone following a Jan. 7, 2012, win over Lorenz Larkin, had his hearing today in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). "King Mo," maintained throughout the process that he bought a supplement over the counter at Max Muscle and was unaware that it could ever turn up illegal. Because, really, you can't buy it at a store and have it be against the rules, right? Wrong. Drostanolone, also found in previous drug test results from Josh Barnett and Hermes Franca, is popular among athletes and competitive bodybuilders because its "anti-estrogenic properties make it a very effective cutting agent." So when Lawal went in front of the commission today, with his back pressed firmly against the wall, he simply said he would take whatever punishment given "like a man." Good thing, too, because the hammer came down hard. Lawal's punishment includes (per Josh Gross): A nine month suspension applied retroactively to Jan. 7 A $39,000 fine. That number comes from the fact that he was fined 30-percent of his purse and had to return his win bonus. His win over Larkin was overturned to a "No Contest." Mess with the bull, get the horns. Or something like that. On top of all this, Lawal also re-injured his knee in the Larkin fight. Not only that, he suffered from a "life threatening" staph infection that almost sapped his will to live. Now, he's on the road to recovery. And at least he'll have the next seven months or so to hang back and get healthy. And hey, his pockets are a lot lighter, so that should help too. Kind of.

Posted in: lorenz larkin, month, larkin, lawal, contest mess

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Months after news broke that Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal failed a post-fight drug test after his win against Lorenz Larkin at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine in January, the Nevada Athletic Commission has now made its ruling on the matter, with Lawal being suspended for 9 months, along with a $39,000 fine, and his win over Larkin being overturned to a no-contest. Lawal (now 8-1-1NC) tested positive for the steroid Drostanolone, which is commonly used by bodybuilders for cutting weight. Lawal denied knowingly taking the drug, stating that a nutritional supplement he took, S-Mass Lean Gainer by Rock Solid, must have contained the drug. Lawal stated that he used the supplement nearly a year prior to the failed test, specifically in April of 2010. Even though he denies knowingly taking the drug, Lawal made it clear he understood if he were to be punished, stating “Whatever punishment you all took for me, I’m a man, and I’ll take it like a man”. That punishment is similar to other suspensions and fines handed out by the commission in the past. The $39,000 fine comes as a result of Lawal’s $15,000 win bonus being revoked, along with 30% of his fight purse, which was $24,000. After Lawal’s suspension ends in September, he can then submit a drug test to the athletic commission to re-apply for a fighter’s license. That drug test will be mandatory prior to fighting again in Nevada if he is to ever compete in the state again. Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for news regarding the development of Lawal’s suspension.

Posted in: test, drug, drug test, lawal, drug lawal

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The Nevada State Athletic Commission held a hearing today concerning the positive steroid test of Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal and things did not turn out to well for the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight. Lawal was suspended nine months, fined 30 percent of his salary for the fight, and will surrender his win bonus. In addition, the fight result was changed to a no contest On January 7, Lawal defeated Lorenz Larkin via a second round knockout.  However, after the fight Lawal’s drug test

Posted in: fight, lorenz larkin, muhammed lawal, nevada state, lawal

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STRIKEFORCE CEO Scott Coker released the following statement today regarding Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal and the recent findings of the Nevada State Athletic Commission:“Following the outcome of today’s hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission and his subsequent reaction, STRIKEFORCE has released Muhammed Lawal from his contract.”

Posted in: strikeforce, nevada state, lawal, reaction strikeforce, statement today

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Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal has had a very trying year. Along with testing positive for a banned substance, Lawal has been forced to battle a deadly Staph infection that nearly took his life. Lawal, a former wrestling standout and ex-Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, talked with Ben Fowlkes of Sports Illustrated recently, where he discussed the infection – and just how close he was to giving up. I had this moment where I was like, man, I can see my hip bone. I was ripped still. I had an eight-pack. But there’s my hip bone. I looked at my leg, and it looked like those zombies from ‘The Walking Dead.’ That’s how it looks right now. I’m getting to where I can kind of strengthen it, doing leg lifts and stuff. But I looked in the mirror and was like, man, look at me. I didn’t know it was that bad until then. I got to the point where I was like, (expletive) it. I just felt like, hey, I’m going to quit taking this medicine and if I die then I die. I’m tired of this stuff. Lawal went on to talk about looking death in the face and surviving. Now, he plans on taking back his career and his life after battling through his illness. It remains to be seen what happens with Lawal in terms of a possible suspension for his positive test, but after dealing with something as serious as this infection, nothing else could be as bad. Photo credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog

Posted in: life, ben fowlkes, lawal, staph infection, infection

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In mixed martial arts (MMA), like any other contact sport, athletes run the risk of many injuries, whether they are temporary or career-ending. Whether it's a sprained ankle, bruised eyes or broken bones, injuries are a never-ending possibility. In MMA, injuries happen on a daily basis. But aside from being forced out of a fight because of training too hard in the gym, MMA fighters run the risk of staph infection, due to the fact that they are in constant contact with another competitor. Whether rolling on the floor brushing up on their Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills or upping their wrestling techniques, the risk is always present. Staph infection can be a brutal reality, as former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion Muhammed Lawal recently discovered with his own, very serious life threatening battle with the illness. But how bad was it? According to "King Mo," the whole ordeal, including the treatment, was enough to almost throw the towel in on his life. At least that's what American Kickboxing Academy (AKA)-trained fighter told Sports Illustrated. Check it out: "I had this moment where I was like, man, I can see my hip bone. I was ripped still. I had an eight-pack. But there's my hip bone. I looked at my leg, and it looked like those zombies from The Walking Dead. That's how it looks right now. I'm getting to where I can kind of strengthen it, doing leg lifts and stuff. But I looked in the mirror and was like, man, look at me. I didn't know it was that bad until then." Having had enough, Lawal says that throughout his ordeal, he came close to stop taking his medicine to battle the infection, even if it meant losing his life: "I got to the point where I was like, [expletive] it. I just felt like, hey, I'm going to quit taking this medicine, and if I die then I die. I'm tired of this stuff." Now that he seems to be doing better, "King Mo" misses the daily grind of training for a fight and has a new found appreciation for life: "I feel like I looked death in the face, and I survived. I'm talking death of my career, and death in life. I faced that. It was tough. It really did make me appreciate my life, just my everyday life. I used to think, not that I hated working out, but that I hated feeling tired. Now, I miss feeling tired. I miss getting punched, kicked, kneed, elbowed. I miss all that." There is no word on when he will return to action, aside from dealing with his health issues, Lawal also has to tend to another important matter at hand -- his positive steroid test (Drostanolone) following his Jan. 7, 2012, technical knockout (TKO) win over Lorenz Larkin at the Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" Showtime event in Las Vegas, Nevada. Given the circumstances, it's safe to say that, though a crucial blow to his fight career, the positive test issues he has with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) may seem like a walk in the park when compared to his recent life-threating health scare.

Posted in: life, lawal, staph infection, infection, life i

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High-level fighters are generally prepared for any challenge they face whether in the ring or outside of it, as a certain level of mental toughness created by years upon years of grinding in the gym and absorbing damage in a sport predicated on physical contact. However, when it comes to the battle Strikeforce light heavyweight Muhammed Lawal is currently embroiled in pertaining to his health, the former champion nearly called it quits to what would have been life-altering or even life-ending results. Lawal recently peeled back a layer to reveal how low he’d sunk during his painful, extended treatment for a staph infection inside his knee occurring after he’d had surgery to repair ligament damage inside it. The situation got so serious he nearly had his leg amputated, had a catheter inserted into his heart, and has lost more than 30 pounds since first going under the knife. “I got to the point where I was like, f*ck it. I just felt like, hey, I’m going to quit taking this medicine, and if I die then I die. I’m tired of this stuff,” said Lawal of the circumstances in an interview with CNNSI, adding it really hit him how bad were things when it looked in the mirror and could see his hip-bone. Fortunately, as individuals like Lawal often do, the 31-year old fought through the adversity and came out on top. While he’s still not completely out of the woods yet health-wise, things appear to be progressing in a positive direction including Lawal’s state of mind. “I feel like I looked death in the face, and I survived. I’m talking death of my career, and death in life. I faced that. It was tough. It really did make me appreciate my life, just my everyday life,” Lawal explained. “I used to think, not that I hated working out, but that I hated feeling tired. Now, I miss feeling tired. I miss getting punched, kicked, kneed, elbowed. I miss all that.” It is still unknown when Lawal will be fit enough to get back to training at 100%, but, it appears he’ll do so as a new man who takes nothing for granted, and one thing that can be said with certainty is a motivated “King Mo” should make for an especially dangerous individual. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: muhammed lawal, year, life, thing, lawal

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Most fight fans know that former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Mo Lawal has been battling a serious staph infection since undergoing knee surgery in January. What they probably don’t know -- and what Lawal kept from many his closest friends in the fight game -- was just how close he came to giving up entirely.As Lawal told me when I spoke to him for a Sports Illustrated story this week, at one point it all got to be too much even for him. The endless nights of high fevers and no sleep, the battery of antibiotics and knee flushes -- finally he’d had enough, he said."I got to the point where I was like, [expletive] it. I just felt like, hey, I'm going to quit taking this medicine, and if I die then I die. I'm tired of this stuff." He didn’t give up, in part because, just as he was at his breaking point, his doctor called to say that the course of treatment they were on seemed as if it was finally working. But even now, according to his manager, Mike Kogan, he’s still not completely in the clear just yet."The concern was, and still is, that the infection keeps coming back," Kogan said. "It happened at least four times. We were starting to see some improvement, things were getting better, then bam, it starts going the other way again. The latest one was just last week. His temperature went up again and his knee started filling up with fluid."The bright spot, as much as there is one in a situation like this, has been the response from his teammates at AKA. The outpouring of support has been overwhelming, Lawal said, with everyone from close friends to coaches to occasional training partners coming to visit him in the hospital in an effort to lift his spirits."It was tough, man. I broke down when my people came and saw me," Lawal said. "I’m emotional, but I try to hold it back. You know, I’m still kind of a newbie to AKA. But they took the time to come and see me and comfort me."Head coach Javier Mendez even brought him a book on boxing, Lawal said. It drove him slightly crazy, since it was all about an activity that he desperately wanted to get out of bed and do himself, but he appreciated the gesture even though he said he "hate[s] reading."As Lawal’s long-time friend and former Oklahoma State wrestling teammate Daniel Cormier explained: "You cannot believe how strong the support system is in our gym. We’re not just sitting there training together. We really care about one another, and it was good to see everybody on the team basically going to see him. People he said he’s barely spoken to went and sat with him a little while. Muhammad Lawal, I know him. The people at AKA have a lifelong friend in him now. He won’t forget something like that."But even though Lawal was touched by the efforts of his teammates, he kept the extent of his suffering and his depression hidden from them. Even Cormier couldn’t get him to talk much about it, though he said he knew it was bad when all his efforts to get a laugh out of his old friend didn’t even elicit a smile."He wouldn't tell me how bad it was. You know how it is. Your buddy isn't going to tell you all that, that he's thinking about just saying forget it and giving up, because then you become just another person telling him to do the right thing for himself. He tried to keep it positive in front of me and the other guys, because that's Mo. He's actually worried that it will distract guys from fights they have coming up. Like that's his big concern."Lawal’s troubles aren’t over yet, however. His battle with the infection is still ongoing, and he’s lost about 30 pounds in the last two months, he said. On top of that, he has his hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission next Tuesday, where Kogan has said they will offer an "answer" to the positive steroid test stemming from his last fight against Lorenz Larkin. Lawal still maintains that the Drostanolone in his urine sample came from an over-the-counter supplement, and he’s had no difficulty being open and upfront about that, he pointed out, even if he’s been less eager to talk about his health struggles."I tried not to get depressed about [the positive drug test], because I know I'm not a cheater," he said. "I tried not to get too upset about the drug-testing thing, because there's nothing I can do until the hearing with the commission. I've been transparent, and I've been open with everybody. Everybody knows what happened. I put it all out there. You know, some people test positive, and they just go quiet. They don't say anything. I've been out there, vocal, telling people what happened."After the battle with staph that, at one point, seemed like it could claim his career or even his leg, the NSAC has been the least of his concerns lately. But now that his health is finally starting to improve, Lawal looks forward to a time when he can finally return to the gym and put the hard lessons he learned in a hospital bed to use in the rest of his life."I know what it’s like to be bed-ridden now, and that’s a tough thing to swallow," he said. "Seeing my friends, my family, it makes me appreciate them all so much more. I appreciate my fans more. I used to be focused on my haters too much, but now I feel like, [expletive] them. Why am I giving them all this attention, talking back to them, smashing them, when I could be focusing on the people who are giving me positive energy to do good things? It opened my eyes to a lot of things."

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King Mo finally has a date with the NSAC. MMA Junkie is reporting that Lawal will appear before the Nevada State Athletic Commission in two weeks at a hearing on March 27 to address his positive test for the steroid Drostanolone following his victory over Lorenz Larkin at Strikeforce “Rockhold vs. Jardine.” Lawal still denies that he knowingly took a performance-enhancing substance, but he isn’t expected to contest the result, according to his manager Mike Kogan. Instead, they plan to show the commission how they discovered a tainted supplement Lawal took led to the positive test and let the commission decide how to handle it. “Ultimately an athlete is responsible for what he/she puts in their body, and Mr. Lawal’s intent is not to shift blame or find an excuse,” stated the letter sent to the Attorney General. “His intent was to figure out for himself what may have caused this positive test so that he can make proper adjustments to his supplement list and avoid this nightmare in the future.” “We’re going to go in there and explain to them the same story that we’ve been saying all along, and see what happens,” Kogan said. “When we originally wrote [the letter], it was for internal use and in the media. I don’t know anything about these commissioners and what they know and what they don’t know, so we’re going to give a little history on [Lawal's wrestling background] and add a little bit more of answering the questions of previous research (about the supplement). It will be up to the commission at that point to decide what to do with Lawal. At the moment, he is facing a one-year suspension, a fine and having his win over Larkin changed to a no-contest. Image via Dave Mandel for Sherdog

Posted in: test, supplement, nevada state, commission, lawal

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The Nevada State Athletic Commission will in two weeks decide the immediate professional fate of Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal. NSAC executive director Keith Kizer on Tuesday told MMAjunkie.com that the former Strikeforce light-heavyweight champ is scheduled to appear at a commission meeting on March 27 in Las Vegas. Lawal faces a possible one-year suspension, a fine, and the overturning of his recent win over Lorenz Larkin to a no-contest.

Posted in: lorenz larkin, nevada state, commission, lawal, commission meeting

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After undergoing a seventh procedure on Sunday to remove infectious matter from his recently repaired knee, Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal is biding his time. Antibiotics that had to be administered 24 hours a day via a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line have been switched to another type that are administered twice a day. Lawal hopes the new treatment will kill the staph infection that nearly cost him his leg following ACL surgery this past month. In the meantime, he's hooked up to two machines that drain excess blood and pus.

Posted in: lawal, staph infection, acl surgery, day lawal, time antibiotics

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Strikeforce light heavyweight Muhammed Lawal has faced some stiff opposition in his career as both a Mixed Martial Artist and collegiate wrestler but none of those fights compare to the one he fought a few weeks ago inside a hospital. Lawal, who intentionally kept his situation on the down-low, found himself in the midst of a serious medical situation due to a staph infection. While the 31-year old former champion had dealt with staph infection before, this particular case involved a knee he had recently undergone an operation on. “I had an ACL replacement again, but that wasn’t a big deal. I think what got me was the micro-fracture surgery. The micro-fractures got infected with staph, and I ended up in the hospital for about twelve days,” said Lawal in an interview with CagePotato. “I didn’t want people to know I was in the hospital, so if people texted me, I didn’t tell them. I was in pain and damned near dying. They gave me morphine. It was crazy. I was trying to keep it normal, and get back to the people that were texting me, telling them that I was okay, so that it wouldn’t get out that I was in the hospital.” Lawal Responds to Allegations of Steroid Use He said he first noticed things were wrong during the UFC on FOX 2 weekend when his leg felt “hot” and he had developed a number of lumps in his knee. Lawal spoke to his doctor who drained the knee, tested the “Ghostbusters ectoplasm” out, and discovered the infection. Lawal was then rushed to the hospital where he underwent five separate procedures before things were finally resolved. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE Tweet

Posted in: people, lawal, hospital, staph infection, staph

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Strikeforce light heavyweight Muhammed Lawal has faced some stiff opposition in his career as both a Mixed Martial Artist and collegiate wrestler but none of those fights compare to the one he fought a few weeks ago inside a hospital. Lawal, who intentionally kept his situation on the down-low, found himself in the midst of a serious medical situation due to a staph infection. While the 31-year old former champion had dealt with staph infection before, this particular case involved a knee he had recently undergone an operation on. “I had an ACL replacement again, but that wasn’t a big deal. I think what got me was the micro-fracture surgery. The micro-fractures got infected with staph, and I ended up in the hospital for about twelve days,” said Lawal in an interview with CagePotato. “I didn’t want people to know I was in the hospital, so if people texted me, I didn’t tell them. I was in pain and damn near dying. They gave me morphine. It was crazy. I was trying to keep it normal, and get back to the people that were texting me, telling them that I was okay, so that it wouldn’t get out that I was in the hospital.” Lawal Responds to Allegations of Steroid Use He said he first noticed things were wrong during the UFC on FOX 2 weekend when his leg felt “hot” and he had developed a number of lumps in his knee. Lawal spoke to his doctor who drained the knee, tested the “Ghostbusters ectoplasm” out, and discovered the infection. Lawal was then rushed to the hospital where he underwent five separate procedures before things were finally resolved. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE Tweet

Posted in: people, lawal, hospital, staph infection, staph

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Recently on twitter there has been a discussion of the recent health issues of former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion "King" Muhammed Lawal. Following his fight with Lorenz Larkin at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs Jardine, Lawal removed himself from twitter and the public eye due to a positive test for a substance called Drostanolone. It was on Sunday that several people on twitter started to talk about the whereabouts of Lawal and the rumored health issues he was dealing with prior to his fight with Larkin. Luke Thomas and R.J. Clifford of SiriusXM's Fight Club had the opportunity to speak with Lawal on their show on Monday to try and get the Strikeforce star to open up about his medical issues. Lawal addressed the rumors and confirmed that he had been dealing with not just another ACL tear but a dangerous bout with staph. The staph had spread to a point that it was amputation was discussed as a way to treat the infection. Below is a transcript: Alright here's the thing. All this happened like three weeks ago but I didn't tell nobody. I was in the hospital with people texting me and I was trying to keep it like nothing was going on so there wouldn't be any red flags. But what happened was I had surgery after the fight. I had ACL and macrofracture (?). The ACL wasn't a big deal but the macrofracture was a bigger deal in my cartilage. One of the sutures got infected and I had to go to the hospital the day after the Rashad Evans/Phil Davis fight. I got blood taken out of my knee and taken to a lab. I was at my manager's crib...Mike Kogan's crib and all of the sudden my doctor's like 'hey, you've gotta come to the hospital right now'. And this is right after Chael won. So I went to the hospital before the Rashad Evans/Phil Davis fight and I watched the fight at the hospital. Then went into the surgery spot and woke up with the pick line in my arm and they were telling me I would be in there till Monday. I figured I'd go in there and clear my knee out and I'd be out the same night or the next night but I was in there till Monday. Then they checked out my knee again and took the temperature and the knee was still hot and swelling up. They decided to take me back into surgery to do another flush procedure to get the staph infection out. In twelve days I had five procedures to remove the staph and I'm staph free now. But now they've pushed IV medicine through my pick line that's connected to my heart through my arm every day for six weeks. This is the toughest thing I've ever experienced in my life. The harded that I've experienced in my life. Spiritually and emotionally, man I'll put it like this. I'm not religious at all. I was born to a Muslim family. Man this had me thinking I had to purchase the Quran and get back to my faith and start having more talks with Allah. Seeing my teammates come see me, it broke me down a few times man. Coach Mendez came and saw me a lot. Coach Bob, Paul Buentello, Dan Cormier...people on the team. Jermain Ramsey and Jenna...Phil. I just had so many people contact me and come through it was tough man. It pushed me. Mentally I'll be a stronger person. I know I'll be stronger and I'll be a better fighter. King Mo has experienced one of the scariest moments of his life when he could have lost much more than just his career. Listening to him speak, his voice and words were that of a man with a different outlook on life and one that recognizes how fragile life truly is. I hope that he uses this as a way to motivated himself to be the best person that he could possibly be, not just as a fighter, but also as a man. He has an opportunity to become something much more than an entertaining fighter and hopefully he realizes his potential. I know I speak for the staff at Bloody Elbow when I say that I hope that Lawal has a speedy recovery.

Posted in: fight, man, lawal, hospital, staph

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Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Truer words may have never been spoken when it comes to Strikeforce Light Heavyweight contender "King Mo" Muhammed Lawal. After defeating Lorenz Larkin in his last mixed martial arts (MMA) fight on Jan. 7, 2012, Lawal had his victory overturned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) because of a positive drug test that indicated his use of steroids (drostanolone). The news just gets worse. According to Robert Joyner (who writes freelance MMA articles for Sport Illustrated), "King Mo" was very recently in some dire straits: "On the King Mo situation, hearing from those close to him he's in a bad situation. He got injured in the Larkin fight, had to get another ACL. There were complications and he ended up with a very bad staph infection that was life threatening, and nearly required amputation. Mo had to have five surgeries in 12 days before staph was gone. Currently he's taking an IV directly into his heart every day for six weeks. Making the situation even worse, this was a recurrence of same injury within 18 months, so Zuffa/SF insurance won't cover the ACL surgery or the subsequent follow-ups for the staph. Mo is/will have to come out of pocket on medical bills that may well reach into six figures." More on this after the jump: Apparently, the situation is not quite as rough as originally reported. Josh Gross of ESPN weighed in on the subject, via Twitter, stating that Lawal did, in fact, have to pay for the procedures out of pocket, but that he is stable now and recovering: "Lawal paid out of pocket b/c Zuffa insurance won't cover same injury within 18 month period. And it didn't happen in a fight. Mike Kogan (Lawal's manager) just told me the infection is under control. Lawal is on IV antibiotics for 6 weeks. Taking pain meds. Then rehab." Sounds like all is well, for the most part. The infamous "Front Row Brian" (known largely for his activity on Sherdog and The Underground), caught up with Lawal and reported that "King Mo" is doing well, too: "Just got off the phone w/ @KingMoFH. He's in Detroit w/ friends. He wants to make it clear he's feeling well & is NOT in any financial peril. @KingMoFH still has a PICC line to his heart though. PICC = peripherally inserted central catheter. Mo says he'll be back training in 6 wks. @KingMoFH also wants to make it clear he's very happy with Zuffa's medical insurance and his out of pocket expense was minimal." Reports of Lawal's demise may have been greatly exaggerated ... or at least a little bit. Sorry, Rampage. Either way, it's good to hear that he is recovering and is out of the woods, as far anything seriously harmful.

Posted in: king mo, mo, king, lawal, he

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via i1229.photobucket.com Via Twitter, Robert Joyner is reporting that "King Mo" Muhammed Lawal is suffering very serious complications following an ACL injury. Lawal was apparently re-injured his knee in his January bout against Lorenz Larkin at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine. To make matters worse, because the ACL surgery was related to recurring/existing condition, the insurance provided by Zuffa/Strikeforce does not cover Lawal's medical expenses in this case. Lawal's immediate future in MMA was already under question as he failed his post-fight drug tests following the fight with Larkin and was awaiting his hearing with the athletic commission.

Posted in: lorenz larkin, lawal, acl, acl surgery, case lawals

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"Not everyone is guilty of intentionally doing this." -Mike Kogan, manager to "King Mo" Lawal

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If Muhammed Lawal and Cristiane Santos were hoping the team at Zuffa would be understanding in regards to the situation surrounding their recent drug tests it appears they’re in for some disappointment. Lawal and Santos, who are both currently facing discipline after testing positive for PED usage, each made excuses for the result rather than showing genuine accountability for having slipped up. Specifically, Santos said she had taken a substance she wasn’t completely familiar with as a means of helping her cut weight, while Lawal explained the drug in his system was part of a supplement he’d bought over the counter at a fitness supply chain. UFC President Dana White addressed the topic in an interview with MMAFighting where he showed little sympathy for either disgraced athlete, especially in terms of how they’d handled the post-test fallout. “If you get caught doing something, admit you did it,” said White. “The whole ‘Somebody put something in my system that I didn’t know about?’ I mean, who here lets someone put sh*t inside them that you don’t know what it is?” “Anybody that’s ever said that they didn’t know what’s being put in their body is full of sh*t,” the outspoken executive concluded while saying he’d rather see fighters own up to their mistake instead of tap-dance around it. Lawal is not planning to appeal his failed test, hoping instead the NSAC will be lenient based on his admission of guilt, while Santos is fighting the CSAC’s sentence of a yearlong suspension. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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Another angle has surfaced pertaining to Strikeforce light heavyweight Muhammed Lawal failing a drug test after an outing earlier this month, as it appears “King Mo” was being targeted to take on Rafael Cavalcante on March 3 as the main event of a card in Columbus, Ohio. The two fought before in 2010 where “Feijao” came away with Lawal’s divisional title after stopping him with strikes in the third round of their bout. Though Strikeforce was never able to enact their plan due to Lawal’s licensing limbo, Cavalcante recently revealed how things were playing out behind the scenes while also expressing disappointment in his adversary’s actions. “I was surprised that an athlete at his level was caught doing steroids,” the 11-3 Brazilian explained while speaking to TATAME. “It wasn’t official yet, but that was the talk, but he was caught using steroids and things got complicated…Now he was caught and I don’t know what happens next,” concluded Cavalcante while voicing some frustration about the complication Lawal’s drug test created. Lawal has denied knowingly using steroids but admitted to taking an over-the-counter supplement that has since been taken off the market based on the presence of Drostanolone in it (the very drug Lawal tested positive for). Interestingly, Strikeforce did announce a fight between top 205ers Gegard Mousasi and Mike Kyle for the very event Cavalcante stated he was supposed to fight at. However, their bout is not for the championship as Cavalcante implies his match-up with Lawal would have been. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: strikeforce, rafael cavalcante, lawal, cavalcante, mike kyle

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In appears Strikeforce light heavyweight Muhammed Lawal will stray from the norm and avoid filing an appeal with the Nevada State Athletic Commission relating to a positive drug test result. However, Lawal also isn’t admitting guilt but rather pleading innocence by ignorance. Lawal and his manager, Mike Kogan, spoke about the subject while appearing as guests on The MMA Hour where they explained their side of the situation including what they believed to be the culprit of all the controversy. According to Lawal’s camp he used a supplement he purchased at Max Muscle called S-Mass Lean Gainer. However, as it turns out, the substance featured the very steroid – Drostanolone – found in Lawal’s system and is no longer carried by the chain of fitness stores. “To the best of my research, this product was taken off the shelves some time in mid-2011, for exactly the same reason that we’re facing right now,” said Kogan. “Its primary and only relevant ingredient of that particular product is a substance known as Methyldrostanolone, which is basically just a pill format of Drostanolone.” “When I went to Max Muscle, I figured you can’t buy steroids at a Max Muscle,” Lawal added. “It’s a chain store. That’s like going to a grocery store and buying something illegal there.” Because Lawal is acknowledging he did take the drug he was popped for he is not appealing the NSAC’s finding. “What we will file is an answer, and an answer would involve affirming their test results and providing our findings and our explanation,” relayed Kogan who remained hopeful their honesty and the context of the use would be taken into account in terms of punishment from the regulatory board. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

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Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed Lawal, who tested positive for the anabolic steroid Drostanolone following a Jan. 7, 2012, win over Lorenz Larkin, is not expected to file an appeal with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). Drostanolone, also found in previous drug test results from Josh Barnett and Hermes Franca, is popular among athletes and competitive bodybuilders because its "anti-estrogenic properties make it a very effective cutting agent." But "King Mo" insists he "had no intent of taking any illegal substance." That's according to his manager Mike Kogan, who told the MMA Hour (via MMA Fighting) that Lawal ingested "a supplement called S-Mass Lean Gainer by Rock Solid, which Lawal said he bought at a Max Muscle store in California and used only sporadically for 'rehab stuff.'" Lawal explains how it all went down, after the jump. "When I went to Max Muscle, I figured you can't buy steroids at a Max Muscle. It's a chain store," he said. "That's like going to a grocery store and buying something illegal there. ...I guess that's the mistake I made. When I looked at the bottle, it just had a bunch of numbers on it. It had the ingredients. I didn't see anything that looked illegal on the bottle, to be honest with you." Ignorance is bliss. While Lawal is not expected to file an appeal when he appears before the NSAC, Kogan says he does intend to provide an "answer" for the results of the drug test, which he blames on the "tricks" of the supplement industry. Kogan is also asking fans to "do their research" before jumping to conclusions based on the reports of "headline-chasing reporters," which is ironic, since the failure to do any research is what landed him and his client in this mess to begin with. And by his own admission, S-Mass Lean Gainer, marketed as "the most powerful designer anabolic ever created," was taken off store shelves in mid-2011. That means it was bought in 2010, removed from stores in 2011, found in Lawal's system in 2012. Sporadic indeed. More on King Mo's steroid bust here, here and here.

Posted in: king mo, lawal, store, lawals system, max muscle

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A list describing the supplements and medications that light heavyweight Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal used prior to his appearance at "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine" points to a single product as the cause of his positive steroid test. In a letter sent this past Saturday to the Nevada attorney general's office, Lawal's rep stated that an OTC testosterone supplement, S-Mass Lean Gainer, contains a chemical precursor to Drostanolone. That's the steroid that recently landed the fighter in hot water.

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Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal and his manager Mike Kogan believe they’ve figured out what caused Lawal’s positive steroid test. Like many fighters before, King Mo is blaming it on a tainted supplement. On the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani today, Kogan and Lawal explained that he purchased a supplement called S-Mass Lean Gainer by Rock Solid in April 2010 at a Max Muscle store in California on the advice of a store employee. Lawal claims that he only took it sporadically for “rehab” purposes. Problem was the supplement contained Methyldrostanolone, which is a variation of Drostanolone, the banned substance he tested positive for, and was actually pulled off shelves sometime last year. “To the best of my research, this product was taken off the shelves some time in mid-2011, for exactly the same reason that we’re facing right now. Its primary and only relevant ingredient of that particular product is a substance known as Methyldrostanolone, which is basically just a pill format of Drostanolone,” Kogan said. They claim Lawal didn’t know about this or even what Drostanolone was until he failed the test and they started looking into it. “When I went to Max Muscle, I figured you can’t buy steroids at a Max Muscle. It’s a chain store,” [Lawal] said. “That’s like going to a grocery store and buying something illegal there. …I guess that’s the mistake I made. When I looked at the bottle, it just had a bunch of numbers on it. It had the ingredients. I didn’t see anything that looked illegal on the bottle, to be honest with you.” “If Mo would have purchased this product in some back alley from some guy who happens to lift weights, the setting itself would probably warrant a lot more alarm than walking into a nutrition store — and not walking in there and saying, ‘Hey do you guys sell any anabolic steroids?’ — but just walking in there and saying that he’s looking for a supplement to help reinforce his muscle during light lifting and being recommended a substance,” Kogan said. “Also, in 2010 this product was not taken off the shelves. This product was not illegal. This product was not being marketed as an anabolic steroid.” Despite their findings, Kogan says they have no plans to appeal the suspension, but they do plan to file an “answer.” “Since we’re not contesting the findings of the commission test, we’re not challenging the chain of custody, we’re not pointing fingers at anybody and we’re not calling for conspiracy theories, I don’t believe we’ll actually file an appeal per se,” Kogan told Helwani. “What we will file is an answer, and an answer would involve affirming their test results and providing our findings and our explanation.” Whether that results in a reduced suspension remains to be seen, however Kogan and Lawal seem more concerned with repairing his public image than worrying about when he can fight again. “People are going to accuse me of whatever they’re going to accuse me of,” he said. “I can’t focus on that. All I know is that I know the truth. The truth is out there, I’ve got nothing to hide, and we’ll see what happens come time for the hearing. I’m not going to worry about the negatives. I’m just going to focus on the positives. That’s all I can do, man.” “Listen, everybody has a story and every athlete has an explanation,” Kogan said. “All we ask for is that people do their own research before they jump to conclusions and then arrive to a conclusion after that. Don’t just read the headlines and be influenced by headline-chasing reporters based on that. You know, everybody cries wolf, but there are circumstances where the wolf is really there. I strongly believe that this is that circumstance.” Here’s my issue with this: The tainted supplement defense, excuse or whatever you want to call it has been used for years. It’s almost a running joke that whenever a fighter tests positive, everyone expects they’re going to blame it on a bad supplement. Maybe everything they’re saying is true, but at this point that’s not good enough. How can I have sympathy for someone when this red flag was raised a long time ago? It’s been clear for quite some time that it’s the fighters’ responsibility to know exactly what they put in their bodies. If they don’t know what it’s in the random muscle building powder the guy at the local GNC sells them, then they need to either find out, don’t use it or risk putting themselves in the crosshairs. That’s life. No one ever said it would be fair. Image via Dave Mandel for Sherdog

Posted in: test, supplement, lawal, product, kogan

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Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal, who failed a post-fight drug test after beating Lorenz Larkin at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine, was a guest on today's MMA Hour and told Ariel Helwani that he had taken an over-the-counter supplement. The Nevada State Athletic Commission announced on January 17th that Lawal tested positive for Drostanolone after the Larkin bout. Lawal faces a suspension of up to one year and a fine. Lawal told Helwani he purchased a supplment called S-Mass "Lean Gainer" at Muscle Max. Here's the description of that product: S-Mass is the most powerful designer anabolic ever created and is probably the least expensive on the market. S-Mass represents a quality designer anabolic and an affordable price. S-Mass was designed to produce lean hard bodies. If you want t he lean hard look S-Mass is the product for you. Lawal's manager Mike Kogan Tweeted after the show: @Mike Kogan: not blaming just pointing out their lack of responsibility, accountability and malicious and intentional misguidence of consumers @Mike Kogan: just pointing out the uphill battle that any athlete faces. They rename, relabel and hide shit on purpose to turn $ someone needs to start paying attention to it

Posted in: strikeforce, mike, lawal, kogan, smas

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Filed under: StrikeforceFormer Strikeforce light heavyweight champ "King" Mo Lawal likely won't appeal a positive steroid test following his win over Lorenz Larkin at a Strikeforce event in Las Vegas earlier this month, the fighter and his manager, Mike Kogan, told Ariel Helwani on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour. Neither will they admit that Lawal knowingly or willfully ingested the steroid Drostanolone, however. Instead of pleading innocent or guilty to the charges, it appears the Lawal camp will plead ignorance, blaming an over-the-counter supplement. "Since we're not contesting the findings of the commission test, we're not challenging the chain of custody, we're not pointing fingers at anybody and we're not calling for conspiracy theories, I don't believe we'll actually file an appeal per se," Kogan told Helwani. "What we will file is an answer, and an answer would involve affirming their test results and providing our findings and our explanation." The guilty party, according to Kogan and Lawal, is a supplement called S-Mass Lean Gainer by Rock Solid, which Lawal said he bought at a Max Muscle store in California and used only sporadically for "rehab stuff," the fighter explained. It was recommended to him by a Max Muscle employee some time in April of 2010, he said, though it's since been removed from the market, according to Kogan, who admitted he had no knowledge that Lawal was taking any supplements at all prior to his positive drug screening. "To the best of my research, this product was taken off the shelves some time in mid-2011, for exactly the same reason that we're facing right now. Its primary and only relevant ingredient of that particular product is a substance known as Methyldrostanolone, which is basically just a pill format of Drostanolone," Kogan said. Lawal insisted he'd "never even heard of [Drostanolone]," and was first alerted that he'd tested positive for it when reporters began calling him with the news handed down by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Lawal insisted he'd never knowingly taken any illegal performance-enhancing substances at any point in his athletic career, and touted his long history of clean tests in collegiate and international wrestling competitions. "For me, the best way to get an advantage over your opponent is through hard work, preparation, and your skills," Lawal said. "That's the best way to get an advantage over anybody. Game-planning. That's the best way to beat your opponent." At the same time, Lawal admitted that he didn't research the supplement before taking it, even though he was well aware of instances where over-the-counter workout aids had resulted in positive drug tests for other athletes. "When I went to Max Muscle I figured you can't buy steroids at a Max Muscle. It's a chain store," he said. "That's like going to a grocery store and buying something illegal there. ...I guess that's the mistake I made. When I looked at the bottle, it just had a bunch of numbers on it. It had the ingredients. I didn't see anything that looked illegal on the bottle, to be honest with you." And yet, as athletic commissions love to remind fighters -- and as Kogan and Lawal both admitted -- the athlete bears the ultimate responsibility for what goes into his system. As Helwani pointed out, even a quick Google search on the product reveals web sites that describe it as "the most powerful designer anabolic ever created," and suggests that consumers "conduct all the necessary research that comes with using a designer anabolic of this nature." Still, Kogan appeared eager to turn the conversation into a referendum on "the supplement industry," which he said "knowingly, intentionally, and maliciously misguides, hides, mislabels, and resynthesizes and does all kinds of tricks to try to keep selling you the product that they themselves know is illegal." "If Mo would have purchased this product in some back alley from some guy who happens to lift weights, the setting itself would probably warrant a lot more alarm than walking into a nutrition store -- and not walking in there and saying, 'Hey do you guys sell any anabolic steroids?' -- but just walking in there and saying that he's looking for a supplement to help reinforce his muscle during light lifting and being recommended a substance," Kogan said. "Also, in 2010 this product was not taken off the shelves. This product was not illegal. This product was not being marketed as an anabolic steroid." That argument will be part of Lawal's "answer" when he appears in front of the NSAC, Kogan said, where he'll likely make more of an attempt to explain his positive test rather than refute it. "Our primary focus with the commission and the Attorney General's office is intent," Kogan said. "We had no intent of taking any illegal substance and we believe we have enough evidence and enough character references to make that point very clear." As for whether that explanation will satisfy fans, Lawal declined to speculate, but he did say that he would only take Nature Made supplements from now on. "People are going to accuse me of whatever they're going to accuse me of," he said. "I can't focus on that. All I know is that I know the truth. The truth is out there, I've got nothing to hide, and we'll see what happens come time for the hearing. I'm not going to worry about the negatives. I'm just going to focus on the positives. That's all I can do, man." Somewhat ironically, Kogan suggested that fans resist forming an opinion on the matter until they'd done all the research -- exactly what Kogan and Lawal admit they did not do on the supplement that caused this situation in the first place. "Listen, everybody has a story and every athlete has an explanation," Kogan said. "All we ask for is that people do their own research before they jump to conclusions and then arrive to a conclusion after that. Don't just read the headlines and be influenced by headline-chasing reporters based on that. You know, everybody cries wolf, but there are circumstances where the wolf is really there. I strongly believe that this is that circumstance." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: test, supplement, lawal, product, kogan

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Facing a possible one-year suspension and substantial fine, former Stirkeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Muhammed Lawal spoke out about his positive steroid test today, insisting that the Nevada State Athletic Commission's findings were not evidence of misconduct, but rather misunderstanding. According to Lawal, he's never before heard of the substance for which he popped positive for (Drostanolone), explaining that it was contained within a supplement that he'd purchased at a local chain store.

Posted in: nevada state, lawal, test today, lawal hes, commissions findings

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"King Mo" Muhammed Lawal popped positive for drostanolone after his fight against Lorenz Larkin at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine, a fact that has baffled the former Strikeforce champ. He and manager Mike Kogan have held firm that Mo is clean. Talking to Sherdog earlier this week, the fighter maintained his innocence and now appears to be using the "supplement defense": "My track record speaks [for itself]," implored Lawal. "I've been through college and NCAA drug testing, you see what I mean, I'm a clean athlete. I've been tested through USADA [United States Anti-Doping Agency] and WADA [World Anti-Doping Agency] for international competition and I've always been clean ... This is my first positive test for anything, I don't even know what to say. All I know is that the truth will come to light and I know that I'm a clean athlete, I know that I can guarantee that I am a clean athlete." ,,, "I've never used any performance enhancer in my life," declared Lawal, who along with manager Mike Kogan seem to be targeting a sizeable stash of supplements and anti-inflammatory injections for a troublesome knee injury leading up to the fight as the potential cause for the positive test. "Right now we're just looking over everything and trying to come to a conclusion [on how this happened] because it's ridiculous, man," said a frustrated Lawal. "I'm in shock. All I can do is keep on looking at my supplements. I don't even know what to do. I just keep looking over my supplements to see what we can find." I like Mo, but it's worth repeating the standard line where the athlete is responsible for everything he puts in his body. If you're not 100% certain about a supplement, don't take it. SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine

Posted in: athlete, supplement, mo, lawal, ive

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"It is disappointing to hear of this news since this is now the second opponent in a row that has tested positive after fighting me. I respect Mo and wish him the best. If he says that he didn't take anything then I will take his word for it and it's up to him and his team to prove otherwise. At this point, it's up to the Nevada State Athletic Commission how they will deal with this situation. Regardless of steroid use or not, I don't look at this as a win on my record, because it's not. I have watched tape and I am back in the gym improving how I lost that fight. I will be ready for whatever Strikeforce wants to do regarding who I am fighting next and the light heavyweight division." Strikeforce light heavyweight prospect Lorenz Larkin tells Sherdog.com that even though he was bummed at the news that Muhammed Lawal tested positive for steroids after their fight on Jan. 7, 2012, at Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine," he lost the fight anyway. A classy Larkin, who suffered his first career mixed martial arts (MMA) loss to Lawal, isn't taking the time to trash "King Mo," which speaks volumes for "The Monsoon's" character. Lawal has since denied ever taking any banned substances and his manager, Mike Kogan, also stands by his client, denying any wrongdoing on his part. Whether the Lawal camp files for an appeal with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) remains to be seen. You Maniacs surprised -- or appreciative -- of the high road Larkin chose to take when it's so easy to bash the guy who just ruined his perfect record by testing positive for steroids?

Posted in: strikeforce, larkin, nevada state, fight i, lawal

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Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Muhammed Lawal took some lumps from fans and media yesterday after the NSAC revealed he had tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in relation a January 7 bout against Lorenz Larkin. Lawal has since responded to the commission’s findings and, rather than admit wrongdoing or even the possibility of unknowingly ingesting something illegal, he’s defending his name by flatly denying the result. “I’m very surprised about this,” said Lawal in a conversation with ESPN. “I am very careful about what I put into my body. I’ve never tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug. I’ve gone through, and still welcome, Olympic-style testing.” Lawal’s next fight will apparently take place behind the scenes rather than in the center of a cage as he plans to investigate the matter and hopefully figure out what happened. “I will do whatever is necessary to get to the bottom of this,” Lawal continued. “I’m not a cheater. I might cheat at video games, but I never cheat at fighting.” As is customary procedure, “King Mo” reserves the right to appeal his pending suspension/fine and will clearly do so as implied by his statements to ESPN. If he fails he will likely be looking at 9-12 months on the sidelines as well as losing a significant chunk of his paycheck from the win over Larkin. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: “ i, lawal, video games, ” lawal, media yesterday

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The saga of Muhammed Lawal continues today with more bad news for the Strikeforce light heavyweight who was knocking on the door to another title shot. According to his manager, Mike Kogan (via The MMA Show), "King Mo" will undergo surgery today to repair his knee, which he re-injured while he was preparing to fight Lorenz Larkin at the Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" event on Jan. 7, 2012, in Las Vegas. That is, of course, the same event that saw him test positive for Drostanolone, an anabolic steroid used by many athletes and competitive bodybuilders because its "anti-estrogenic properties make it a very effective cutting agent." Here's the thing, though: Lawal says he never took anything of the sort. He will admit, however, to having been injected with an anti-inflammatory steroid when he had his knee drained by a doctor but that's it. Here's Kogan's quote when speaking with Mauro Ranallo: "We had some knee problems going into the fight (against Larkin). He had a torn ACL and his knee swelled up three or four weeks before the fight and we had to have it systematically drained. He is in surgery right now having his ACL put in (Lawal does not have an ACL). We talked to that doctor if there might have been something he put in that may have caused this, but from his conclusion it doesn't seem likely. He put in an an anti-inflammatory steroid at the time when he first drained the knee, but since then he hasn't put anything in. But it wasn't an anabolic steroid so it wasn't the same. That's basically where we are right now. We are still trying to figure out this thing out." So if we're to understand that Lawal was suffering from a knee injury that was hampering him enough to go a doctor to get it drained, and he tested positive for an anabolic steroid typically used to help cut weight, it's natural for folks to put two and two together and assume the worst. But, of course, there's always more to the story than it seems. Lawal's only comments since being alerted to his failed test were to deny any wrongdoing. His official stance is that while he may cheat at video games, but he doesn't cheat at fighting. Ultimately, the Nevada State Athletic Commission will determine that when his appeal is heard and they decide on whether or not to uphold a ruling against him, which would likely entail a fine and a suspension of up to one year. Anyone ready to jump to Lawal's defense with this new information?

Posted in: doctor, knee, lawal, anabolic, surgery today

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When "King Mo" Muhammed Lawal tested positive for steroids after his fight against Lorenz Larkin at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine it seemed to come out of nowhere for everyone involved. While Lawal is planning to appeal the test, his manager, Mike Kogan, has reiterated that they don't understand the positive test but does recall a non-anabolic injection. Via USA Today: "Both of us are very surprised by these results," Kogan told USA TODAY. "Neither of us has ever heard of this drug. ... We honestly have no clue where this came from." Other than food and drink, the only substances that Lawal takes on a regular basis are iron supplements, Kogan said. When Lawal had fluid drained from his knee a few weeks before the bout, he did receive an injection of a non-anabolic steroid, Kogan said. Despite the appeal it would be unexpected for the "B" sample to provide a different result than the positive received on the "A" sample. SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine

Posted in: usa today, lorenz larkin, lawal, kogan, injection

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The MMA community found itself in a state of collective shock yesterday when the Nevada State Athletic Commission revealed former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Muhammed Lawal had tested positive for steroids after his January 7 fight against Lorenz Larkin at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine. And, as it turns out, “King Mo” was also apparently among the group whose jaw dropped at the news. Lawal addressed the situation in a conversation with ESPN where he never actually denied using PEDs but relayed his intention to investigate the issue further to figure out what happened. “I’m very surprised about this,” said Lawal. “I am very careful about what I put into my body. I’ve never tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug. I’ve gone through, and still welcome, Olympic-style testing.” “I will do whatever is necessary to get to the bottom of this,” Lawal continued. “I’m not a cheater. I might cheat at video games, but I never cheat at fighting.” Though no official sentence has come down from the NSAC it’s likely Lawal will have to serve some sort of suspension and be fined a percentage of his winnings from the match-up in question unless his forthcoming appeal holds up. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE Tweet

Posted in: strikeforce, lorenz larkin, mma community, nevada state, lawal

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Strikeforce light heavyweight Lorenz Larkin has responded to Tuesday’s announcement by the Nevada State Athletic Commission that his Jan. 7 opponent, Muhammed Lawal, failed a post-fight drug screen.

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With Strikeforce still reeling from the steroid-based suspension of ferocious featherweight champion Cristiane Santos it looks like the organization is not out of the woods yet, as the NSAC has confirmed former light heavyweight title-holder Muhammed Lawal tested positive for PED use as well and will probably be sidelined for the rest of 2012 as a result. According to a statement from NSAC chief executive Keith Kizer, an anabolic steroid called Drostanolone was found in Lawal’s system. While no official sentence has been issued yet, and “King Mo” reserves the right to appeal, it is likely he will be suspended for 9-12 months, fined up to 50% of his purse, and have his win over Lorenz Larkin changed to a “No Contest”. Lawal Doesn’t Care About Popularity, Only Pay Lawal’s performance against Larkin at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine could very well be his final appearance under the organization’s banner based on the positive drug test, as he is not only a free agent in February but the company is limping towards 2013 when its deal with broadcaster Showtime runs out. The outspoken 32-year old Lawal has not commented on the commission’s findings. No word has surfaced from Zuffa executives either, though it’s likely all will have something to say as the story continues to develop. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: lorenz larkin, drug test, lawal, ped use, steroidbased suspension

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The hits keep coming for embattled MMA promotion Strikeforce after the Nevada State Athletic Commission revealed former light heavyweight champ Muhammed Lawal had tested positive for Drostanolone, an anabolic steroid. Lawal’s result stemmed from his bout against previously unbeaten Lorenz Larkin earlier this month at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine. According to NSAC executive Keith Kizer, while a specific sentence has not been imposed yet, it’s likely Lawal will face a 9-12 month suspension and be fined 30-50% of his purse (possibly more). It’s also probable his win over Larkin will be overturned and labeled as a “No Contest”. Lawal is the second athlete from the card to test positive for PED use with Cristiane Santos being the other. Santos was suspended for a year, fined $2500, and stripped of her featherweight title. Particularly tricky for Lawal is the fact he will be a free agent in February as the bout against Larkin was the last on his Strikeforce contract. The fight was his second appearance in the ring since suffering a serious knee injury in 2010 that kept him out of action for a year. No official comment on the situation has surfaced from Lawal, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, or UFC President Dana White as of this report. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: strikeforce, lorenz larkin, larkin, nevada state, lawal

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The Athletic Commissions of Nevada and California have been busy lately. First the suspension of Cristiane "Cybrog" Santos in Cali following her beatdown of Hiroko Yamanaka back on December 17th and now word comes that "King Mo" Muhammed Lawal has tested positive following his win against Lorenz Larkin at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine. Santos' win was subsequently changed to a No Contest, and it's likely that is what will happen here as well. According to Tony Messano (Twitter username ULTMMA), the steroid King Mo Lawal was busted for Drostanolone is commonly used for cutting cycles of PED use. In the short-term, these two busts are incredibly damaging to the already-thin roster of Strikeforce. With Santos' suspension, speculation has arisen that they might cut the 145-lb division altogether. Lawal is one of only half-a-dozen or so fighters that really has any credibility at Light-Heavyweight. The only fighters that most people see as having any legit shot at the vacant title are Gegard Mousasi and Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante. Long-term, this probably isn't much more than a severe bump in the road, as tons of fighters have had PED problems and aren't being held as pariahs. Sean Sherk, Chris Leben and Chael Sonnen among others have all had fights in the UFC after suspensions for illegal PEDs. Both Santos and Lawal will most likely return to the cage a little lighter in the wallet and hopefully humbler, but unless it's of their own volition, they will return and most likely find success.

Posted in: suspension, mo, king, lawal, ped

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Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed Lawal tested positive for the steroid Drostanolone in his most recent bout, the Nevada State Athletic Commission disclosed on Tuesday.

Posted in: heavyweight, nevada state, tuesday, lawal, nevada

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Popular Strikeforce fighter Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal has tested positive for an anabolic steroid.

Posted in: fighter, mo, king, lawal, muhammed

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As if Strikeforce needed more bad news, Nevada State Athletic Commissioner Keith Kizer has announced that former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal tested positive for the steroid Drostanolone, following his fight on January 7th against Lorenz Larkin. Lawal, 31, was making his Nevada MMA debut at “Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine”. He defeated Larkin in the second round via TKO. Drostanolone is a prescribed medication, but can be used by athletes as a way to maintain strength while going through a weight cutting process. This news comes just weeks after it was announced that Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos was stripped of her title and suspended for one year following her victory over Hiroko Yamanaka, which was ruled a no-contest by the California State Athletic Commission. Santos tested positive for the steroid Stanozolol. Kizer did not announce how Lawal will be disciplined, although a similar suspension and fight result is expected. He did however go on to announce that all other fighters at the event passed their drug tests. For the very latest on this breaking news, stay tuned to mmafrenzy.com

Posted in: strikeforce, news, california state, lawal, stanozolol kizer

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The drug tests for Strikeforce: Rockhold vs Jardine are back and a surprising name tested positive for PEDs: Muhammed Lawal. Of the 15 fighters tested, only Lawal's came back positive. The steroid of choice? Drostanolone, an expensive 'designer' anabolic steroid which has unique qualities. Drostanolone is part of the dihydrotestosterone (DHT) family and has varios medical uses, mainly for lowering cholesterol and in chemotherapy. One of the most unique qualities is that it allows an athlete to add strength without adding mass, which makes it a perfect steroid for athletes in sports that require weight cutting. Lawal faced Lorenz Larkin in a fight that many considered to be a jump off for another shot at the Strikeforce light heavyweight title. He stopped the fight in the second round by TKO. The fight was already surrounded by controversy as referee Kim Winslow was late to stop Lawal's assault on Larkin, causing the fighter from Riverside, California to take a lot of unnecessary damage. Lawal has denied that he has taken any steroids and it is expected that he'll challenge the drug test in an appeal. Full list of fighters tested after the jump... SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine The following athletes were tested: Luke Rockhold, Keith Jardine, Robbie Lawler, Muhammed Lawal, Tyron Woodley, Tarec Saffiedine, Tyler Stinson, Nah-Shon Burrell, James Terry, Gian Villante, Trevor Smith, Ricky Legere, Chris Spang, Estevan Payan and Alonzo Martinez.

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Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammal Lawal has tested positive for anabolic steroids (Drostanolone) following his Jan. 7, 2012, technical knockout (TKO) win over Lorenz Larkin at the Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" event at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Executive Director Keith Kizer today alerted MMAmania.com to the results of Lawal's drug test. Also screened for performance enhancing drugs, as well as drugs of abuse were Luke Rockhold, Keith Jardine, Robbie Lawler, Muhammed Lawal, Tyron Woodley, Tarec Saffiedine, Tyler Stinson, Nah-Shon Burrell, James Terry, Gian Villante, Trevor Smith, Ricky Legere, Chris Spang, Estevan Payan and Alonzo Martinez. Those fighters all passed with flying colors. "King Mo" becomes the second high-profile Strikeforce fighter to test positive for steroids in recent weeks. Former women's champion Cristiane Santos was popped for Stanozolol following her Dec. 17, 2011, win over Hiroko Yamanaka. More on this breaking news in just a bit.

Posted in: strikeforce, lorenz larkin, drug, steroid, lawal

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Former Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal tested positive for the anabolic steroid Drostanolone at the Jan. 7 "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine" event. That's according to Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer, who today emailed the event's drug-testing results to MMAjunkie.com. When today contacted by MMAjunkie.com, Lawal denied using any banned substances.

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News broke on Tuesday that, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal had tested positive for the steroid Drostanolone at the January 7 Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine fight card. Lawal defeated Lorenz Larkin via a second round knockout on that card. Pending an appeal, the positive test will result in a one year ban, fine and Lawal’s victory will be overturned to a no contest. An appeal seems very likely, as Lawal was adamant that he had not taken an

Posted in: lorenz larkin, nevada state, lawal, round knockout, video games

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Filed under: StrikeforceMuhammed "King Mo" Lawal, the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion who returned to the cage on January 7, may not be back in the cage any time soon after testing positive for a banned steroid. Lawal tested positive for Drostanalone, the Nevada State Athletic Commission announced today. Drostanalone can be used as a medication for lowering cholesterol and is sometimes prescribed to cancer patients, but it is also used as a performance-enhancing substance. It is particularly known as a steroid that athletes and bodybuilders use when they are attempting to maintain strength and muscle mass while cutting weight. The Nevada Commission did not say what discipline Lawal will face, but fighters who test positive for performance-enhancing drugs typically have their license suspended for anywhere from six months to a year. Lawal's TKO victory was viewed as likely to earn him another shot at the Strikeforce light heavyweight title, but that apparently won't happen now. Lawal is the second well-known Strikeforce fighter to fail a performance-enhancing drug test recently. Cris Cyborg, the promotion's 145-pound female champion, also tested positive for steroids at her most recent fight. The Nevada Commission announced that all the other fighters who took part in the January 7 Strikeforce show tested negative for all banned substances. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: strikeforce, lawal, nevada, nevada commission, performanceenhancing substance

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STRIKEFORCE CEO Scott Coker released the following statement today regarding Muhammed "Mo" Lawal and the recent announcement from the Nevada State Athletic Commission:“STRIKEFORCE has a strict, consistent policy against the use of any performance-enhancing drugs, including the requirement that all incoming athletes be tested and cleared for PEDs.  Therefore, we fully support the drug testing efforts of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and we will fully cooperate with the Commission regarding the matter pertaining to Mr. Lawal’s test. We also recognize that Mr. Lawal has administrative process rights under Nevada law, and we hope that he is not prejudged before exercising such rights.”    

Posted in: nevada state, lawal, nevada, process rights, mr lawal

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While making an appearance on HDNet's "Inside MMA," former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, responds to a recent challenge extended by Strikeforce 205'er, Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal. Jackson says that he finds Lawal's suggestion that he move to Strikeforce humorous, insisting that, from where he's sitting, that would be a "step down" in his MMA career.

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MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani has presented a new and interesting wrinkle to the drama surrounding referee Kim Winslow's stoppage of Lawal vs. Larkin last Saturday night. From the piece: Referee Kim Winslow received a fair share of criticism for her work at Saturday night's Strikeforce event in Las Vegas, most notably from Muhammed Lawal, but Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer did not feel the criticism was warranted. "I had no issues with the stoppage," Kizer wrote to MMAFighting.com on Monday when asked for a response to Lawal's post-fight comments about the referee. Kizer's support of Winslow comes on the heels of Lawal's interview at the post-fight press conference, during which he offered rather forceful critique of her work. Again, from Helwani's piece: "The commission," Lawal said at the post-fight press conference, "they need to do something with (Winslow). Let her take a fight or something and give her a bad ref. Let her fight Cyborg or something. Let her fight 'Cyborg' and then let's do a late stoppage of her. Because I watched her almost get Jan Finney killed by 'Cyborg.' I think the tables need to be turned. Put me in there as a ref and I'll just do a terrible job like her." There's a few issues here, none of them pleasant. For starters, I can't say I'm especially pleased with Lawal's rhetoric. For him to declare that Winslow deserves to be put in a fight where he himself will do an intentionally "terrible job" refereeing suggests a level of malice on Winslow's part last weekend that simply wasn't there. I only hope his statement was merely the product of an emotional evening and that he soon abandons this vindictive stance. Furthermore, I can't help but think that his insistence on fighter safety is a little ironic considering that his victory last September over Roger Gracie was precipitated in large part by an unintentional but nevertheless illegal headbutt. If he continues to campaign so passionately against Winslow, I think it's only fair that he campaign likewise for that victory over Gracie to be turned into a no-contest. None of this, of course, should be seen as support for Winslow's decision-making during that fight. It absolutely was a late stoppage, and Winslow would do well to make notes for improvement. What's more, her rationale, that she wanted to give Lorenz Larkin every opportunity to bounce back, is far too common among referees and should be abandoned post haste, especially since it's a privilege not afforded to referees under the Unified Rules. As MMA Nation's Luke Thomas has noted, the Unified Rules, though disturbingly imprecise, skew heavily towards caution. As such, everyone might remind themselves that a referee's responsibility is not to facilitate the fight, but to keep it in check. This approach will likely make referees (even more) unpopular with live crowds craving constant, sustained action, but that's certainly no worse an occupational hazard than the breaking, bruising, straining, and bleeding endured by mixed martial artists.

Posted in: fight, referee, stoppage, lawal, winslow

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With Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal's emphatic win over Lorenz Larkin this past Saturday, Strikeforce's field of viable contenders further dwindled. A light-heavyweight title is up for grabs, and all signs point to a rematch between former champs Lawal and Gegard Mousasi in the second quarter of this year. Lawal, who knocked out Larkin at "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine," isn't exactly excited about the fight, but he doesn't have much choice.

Posted in: strikeforce, lorenz larkin, gegard mousasi, lawal, signs point

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In the aftermath of Ref Kim Winslow's late stoppage of King Mo Lawal vs. Lorenz Larkin, Luke Thomas asks "Is 'Giving A Fighter Every Opportunity' To Fight Back Even Legal?" Read it at MMA Nation.

Posted in: lorenz, stoppage, mo, king, lawal

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Main-card fighters Robbie Lawler ($150,000) and Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal ($95,000) were the top earners from this past weekend's "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine" event. Overall, the payroll for the event was $566,000. MMAjunkie.com today requested and received the list of official disclosed paydays from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Posted in: vs, event, rockhold, nevada state, lawal

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Filed under: Strikeforce, NewsReferee Kim Winslow received a fair share of criticism for her work at Saturday night's Strikeforce event in Las Vegas, most notably from Muhammed Lawal, but Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer did not feel the criticism was warranted. "I had no issues with the stoppage," Kizer wrote to MMAFighting.com on Monday when asked for a response to Lawal's post-fight comments about the referee. Lawal felt Winslow stopped his fight against Lorenz Larkin very late, which could have led to Larkin getting seriously injured. "The commission," Lawal said at the post-fight press conference, "they need to do something with (Winslow). Let her take a fight or something and give her a bad ref. Let her fight Cyborg or something. Let her fight 'Cyborg' and then let's do a late stoppage of her. Because I watched her almost get Jan Finney killed by 'Cyborg.' I think the tables need to be turned. Put me in there as a ref and I'll just do a terrible job like her." Watch Lawal discuss his issues with Winslow below (6:00 mark).  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, lawal, fight cyborg, winslow, stoppage kizer

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At Saturday night's Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine card, "King Mo" Muhammed Lawal ran through Lorenz Larkin with relative ease. The finishing flurry of punches seemed to go on far too long as referee Kim Winslow was very slow to jump in and stop the fight despite Larkin turning away and just trying to cover his face. Lawal was clearly upset about the late stoppage in the cage but waited until the post-fight presser to really go off about it. Via MMA Diehards: "The commission, they need to do something with her. Let her take a fight or something and give her a bad ref. Let her fight Cyborg or something. Let her fight 'Cyborg' and then let's do a late stoppage of her. Because I watched her almost get Jan Finney killed by 'Cyborg.' I think the tables need to be turned. Put me in there as a ref and I'll just do a terrible job like her. I heard people from the crowd yelling to stop it and she jumps in all late. I told her, 'Hey you should have stopped the fight earlier.' And she's like, 'Well, I wanted to give him every opportunity to bounce back, so if it takes for him to be asleep. That's what it is.' She never took a punch before so it's easy for her to say that." I generally think Winslow is underrated as a referee but her performance in that fight was bad. If anything, this is a good reminder of the fact that almost all of these guys have no interest in hurting the man they're fighting. They just want to win, not put the guy in the hospital or damage his life down the road. SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine

Posted in: fight, something, lawal, cyborg, fight cyborg

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If you happened to watch the Strikeforce event on Saturday night you got a pretty good look at many of the things that are wrong with athletic commissions nowadays. Sloppy reffing, questionable stoppages, and judging so bad it left you wondering if someone mixed up the fighters' names. One ref singled out for screwing up particularly badly is Kim Winslow, who may or may not have allowed the King Mo / Lorenz Larkin fight go on a smidge past the point of sanity.Kim already had a bit of a reputation after letting Cris Cyborg pulp Jan Finney back in 2010, and after this Larkin stoppage people are starting to wonder if she gets some sort of perverse pleasure staring an asswhupping right in the eye and letting it go on as long as possible.Fortunately, she had one person on her side afterwards: King Mo himself. Here's what he said immediately after the fight. “She explained to me that she wants to give us a fair chance to keep on continuing, and I respect that,” Lawal said. “Cause if that was me, I’d rather be put to sleep than her jump in and me still be awake.” But not everyone is gonna let that shit slide. Take King Mo for example. Here's what he said at the post-fight press conference: "I'm going to put it like this: The commission, they need to do something with [Winslow]," Lawal said. "Let her take a fight or something and give her a bad ref.""She said backstage, 'If I hear 'Ow' or 'Ouch' or 'Ooh,' I'm going to stop the fight,'" Lawal went on to explain. "Man, this dude was cussing. I hit him, and he's like, 'Oh, [expletive].' I was like, 'Uh, ref?' I looked at her, so I kept on hitting him. I was like, 'Man, she needs to stop this thing.' I heard people in the crowd yelling, 'Stop it!' Then she jumps in all late."..."Let [Winslow] fight 'Cyborg,' and let's do a late stoppage with her," Lawal said. "I watched her almost get Jan Finney killed by 'Cyborg.' I think maybe the tables need to be turned. Put me in there as a ref, and I'll just do a terrible job like her." King Mo makes some good points but I'm going to have to go ahead and agree with King Mo.

Posted in: fight, king mo, mo, king, lawal

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When former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Muhammed Lawal locked horns with Lorenz Larkin last night at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine he appeared to be far more seasoned fighter despite having fewer total MMA bouts on his record than his 12-1 adversary. However, as “King Mo” made clear in a post-fight interview with Showtime, experience goes far beyond the amount of time spent inside a ring. “I’ve been everywhere. I’ve seen everything you can see,” Lawal explained. “I’ve been hit in wrestling. I’ve been hit in MMA…I think my overall experience as far as competition kicked in and you could see he was tentative. He was scared.” In addition to multiple national title wins as collegiate wrestler, Lawal also started his career out waist-deep in the divisional pool with bouts against well-travelled adversaries like Travis Wiuff, Mike Whitehead, and Gegard Mousasi. Check out the entire interview below where Lawal also talks about the referee’s late stoppage: PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: lorenz larkin, ’ve, i ’ve, lawal, ” lawal

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Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, Muhammed Lawal made it two in a row last night (Jan. 7, 2012) in Las Vegas, Nevada, at Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" as he defeated rising prospect Lorenz Larkin with relative ease in the second round, and in the process, handed "The Monsoon" his first-ever mixed martial arts (MMA) loss. The former NCAA Division-II national wrestling champion rag-dolled Larkin for both rounds and ultimately finished the fight with some vicious ground-and-pound that forced referee Kim Winslow to step in and stop the fight in what appeared to be a late stoppage. After losing his Strikeforce light heavyweight title to Rafael Cavalcante, which subsequently saw his undefeated streak come to an end in Sept. 2010, Lawal has started a new win streak and perhaps likely set himself up to compete for the vacant Strikeforce light heavyweight title that Dan Henderson left behind when he bolted for greener pastures over in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Never at a loss for words, "King Mo," sounded off at the post-fight press conference (via MMADieHards.com) on everything from his win over Larkin to what the commission should do to punish referee Kim Winslow for the late stoppage to his ongoing feud with a certain former UFC champion. Check it out: "From now on, in this press conference, don't say Mousasi's name or I'm going to fall asleep. He is the most boring person in MMA you know what I'm saying? If they want me to beat Mousasi up, or my bad, Kermit, up, then I'll do it. He is just so boring I hate thinking about him. The dude is boring though, to support my band-wagon lets boycott Gegard. " "King Mo" also wasn't too thrilled when asked about a match-up with Quinton Jackson: "Why you have to bring up that bums name man? It's like this: if he wants to come to Strikeforce and get beat up, he can. To me, he should just stick to acting and just doing movies cuz to me, in my mind and in my eyes, man he ain't got it no more. And he can hit me up on Twitter and talk trash trying to get me out of my game, but, really we all know the truth. Man he's an actor, a sub par actor. He should be on the B-team and not the "A-Team." When asked if he felt his fight should have been stopped much sooner: "The commission, they need to do something with her. Let her take a fight or something and give her a bad ref. Let her fight Cyborg or something. Let her fight 'Cyborg' and then let's do a late stoppage of her. Because I watched her almost get Jan Finney killed by 'Cyborg.' I think the tables need to be turned. Put me in there as a ref and I'll just do a terrible job like her. I heard people from the crowd yelling to stop it and she jumps in all late. I told her, 'Hey you should have stopped the fight earlier.' And she's like, 'Well, I wanted to give him every opportunity to bounce back, so if it takes for him to be asleep. That's what it is.' She never took a punch before so it's easy for her to say that." Tell us how you really feel, Muhammad. Perhaps a rematch against "Feijao," the only man to ever best Lawal, could be in order for the wrestling powerhouse. Then again, much to "King Mo's" chagrin, Gegard Mousasi is also a top candidate to compete for the 205-pound strap after four straight victories including his most recent win over another rising prospect, Ovince St. Preux at Strikeforce: "Melendez vs. Masvidal" back on Dec. 17, 2011. What's your take, Maniacs, was the fight stopped too late? And who should be Lawal's next opponent under the Strikeforce banner? Opinions, please.

Posted in: fight, strikeforce, mousasi, lawal, fight cyborg

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In one of the most predictable match-ups of last night (January 7, 2012), undefeated and undersized prospect Lorenz Larkin stepped up his competition level to an extreme by taking on former champion and world class wrestler Muhammed Lawal on the main card of Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" in Las Vegas. Unfortunately for "The Monsoon," Lawal never really gave him the opportunity to unleash his torrent of attacks. The flashy striker was completely neutralized en route to a second round technical knockout for "King Mo" Lawal. So what went wrong for Larkin? And where do both men go from here? From the onset, Larkin looked conservative, perhaps intimidated by the American Kickboxing Academy fighter and he wasn't able to get off with any of his flashy attacks which had become his trademark. Instead, after a very brief feeling-out period, Lawal shoot in and took the Riverside native down with ease. On the ground, "King Mo" showcased an extremely powerful base, posturing up and dropping some ground and pound and shutting down all of Larkin's bottom game. Larkin attempted a half guard sweep which was neutralized before it even got started and his attempt to post and pop to his feet was quickly stifled as well as Mo closed the gap with a body lock and kept him down. The only saving grace for Larkin was the horrific refereeing by Kim Winslow, who stood them up as Lawal was really getting going with his ground and pound. Referee stand-ups are there to prevent stalling or stalemated positions but Lawal was clearly getting the better of his opponent and was forcing Larkin to wilt under his pressure and powerful punches. Once back to standing, Larkin flashed a jab and showcased some of his speed in his strikes, but he couldn't do nearly enough to make up for the punishment he took from his back. In round two, Lawal quickly grabbed a leg and lifted it high, first attempting to kick Larkin's free leg out from under him but was content to drop down and power "The Monsoon" to the canvas. This time, Lawal postured up and began dropping down some seriously powerful right hands and Larkin had no response other than to eat them. It didn't take long for Larkin to flail about, unable to properly defend himself but Winslow allowed him to eat several unnecessary shots for good measure before stepping in. For Lorenz Larkin, this fight was likely a wake-up call. He's stepped in against men considerably larger and stronger than him in his last three fights and Lawal was way too much for him at this point in his career. There's been plenty of talk from outsiders about him dropping down to middleweight, but sometimes, a fighter won't listen until they're forced to listen. He's still got tremendous talent, but he looked intimidated out there and it showed with his performance. Hopefully Strikeforce actually allows him to continue to develop should he drop down to middleweight before throwing him to the sharks again. If Larkin remains at light heavyweight, perhaps someone along the lines of Abongo Humphry would be a good match-up. If he drops to middleweight, someone along the lines of Benji Radach or Antwain Britt would be a logical next step for him to continue to grow. For Muhammed Lawal, he is who we thought he was. He's a powerful wrestler with terrific top control and the ability to unleash hell on his opponents. He took Larkin down at will and put a hurting on him. It appeared he had a specific strategy to neutralize "The Monsoon's" flashy striking and it worked perfectly. He attacked Larkin's body repeatedly to slow him down and he actually postured up while on the ground, which allowed him to throw heavier shots than the typical fighter. Expect to see him fight for the vacant Strikeforce light heavyweight title next in a rematch either against recent winner Gegard Mousasi or if that somehow doesn't pan out, against September winner and fellow former champion Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante. Either way, Lawal is staying in Strikeforce for the time being. WIth his skill-set, that's a damn shame. So what did you think, Maniacs? Were you unsurprised with the result between Lawal and Larkin? What do you think should be the next logical step for both men? Sound off! For complete Strikeforce "Rockhold vs. Jardine" results, including blow-by-blow, fight-by-fight coverage of the entire event as well as immediate post-fight reaction click here, here and here.

Posted in: fight, strikeforce, ground, larkin, lawal

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LAS VEGAS - Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal has never been one to hold back when it comes to expressing his opinion, and Saturday night was no different. Following his win over the previously undefeated Lorenz Larkin at Saturday's "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine" event in Las Vegas, Lawal railed on fellow light heavyweights Gegard Mousasi and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Oh, and the gloves really came off when it came to referee Kim Winslow.

Posted in: saturday night, strikeforce, lorenz larkin, lawal, kermit mousasi

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Former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Muhammed Lawal, who defeated rising prospect Lorenz Larkin at last night's Jardine vs. Rockhold event, reflects on his victory, and discusses fellow 205'ers Gegard Mousasi and, UFC star, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Lawal insists that Mousasi is "boring," and suggests that fans boycott "The Dreamcatcher," and when asked about a potential bout with Jackson, "King Mo" says he's ready and willing to fight the "bum."

Posted in: jackson, quinton jackson, mousasi, lawal, fans boycott

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A light heavyweight battle took place on the main card of the Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" event tonight (Sat., Jan. 7, 2012) live on Showtime, as Muhammed Lawal took on rising prospect Lorenz Larkin. It was a big bump up in competition for Larkin, who looked every bit ready to take the next step. But was he really? No. Not really. Not at all, actually. That's because "King Mo" used his superior takedowns and ground-n-pound to just put a beating on Larkin, to the point that referee Kim Winslow is again under fire for not stopping the fight sooner. Indeed, Larkin was laid up against the cage and eating shot after shot to the grill, clearly defenseless. Even Lawal told Winslow right in the cage that she let him get hit with too many punches. Oh well. Lawal won by knockout in the second frame and looked damn good doing it. Lawal wasted no time at all grabbing a takedown and unloading with his trademark ground-n-pound. The entire first frame featured the wrestler plying his craft, putting Larkin on his back and frustrating him. The second saw much of the same except this time, the power punches on the floor were finding their mark with deadly precision. CompuStrike pegged Lawal with landing 32 power strikes. Larkin? Just two. The Strikeforce light heavyweight is vacant now that Dan Henderson has bailed to the UFC and Lawal, who just signed a new four-fight contract, seems as good a candidate as any to fight for the belt. Anyone disagree?

Posted in: strikeforce, dan henderson, larkin, lawal, fourfight contract

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Muhammed Lawal defeats Lorenz Larkin by technical knockout. The time was 1:32 in the second round. Mo snatched up a leg and hit the high single, dumping Lorenz on his back early in the round. Mo opened up with ground and pound. Mo stood up quickly and passed to half guard. Larkin shrimped up but was put right back down on his back. Mo landed a nice barrage of ground and pound. Kim Winslow stood the fighters up while Lawal was active with punches. Round concludes with a late flurry from Lorenz Larkin. Mo synched up a leg and worked for a takedown which Larkin defended well with uppercuts. Mo eventually got the fight to the mat and opened up with punches. Just a relentless barrage of punches which caused Lorenz Larkin's head to bounce around. Muhammed Lawal entered the fight 8-1 in Strikeforce. He knocked out Roger Gracie in his last fight in the organization. Lorenz Larkin was undefeated with three wins in the organization. It's the first loss of his career. SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine

Posted in: larkin, lorenz, mo, lawal, round mo

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Filed under: StrikeforceMuhammed "King Mo" Lawal gave Lorenz Larkin a one-sided beatdown on Saturday night's Strikeforce card, looking very impressive with ground and pound to finish the fight. The victory improves Lawal's record to 9-1, and he said he's hoping to re-take the Strikeforce light heavyweight belt in his next fight. That belt is currently vacant, but it would make sense for Lawal to get one of the two spots in a fight for the vacant title. "Next person is taking a beating like this, too," Lawal said. . Lawal took Larkin down less than 30 seconds into the first round and stayed on top for about three and a half minutes, easily controlling the fight with ground and pound that Larkin couldn't answer. The fighters were only brought to their feet because of a highly questionable stand-up by referee Kim Winslow, but Larkin failed to do anything with that gift from the ref. It was the same story in the second round: Lawal grabbed Larkin's leg and worked for the single, needing less than a minute to get the fight to the ground and get into control on top. But this time Lawal did a lot more than just control from the top. He began pounding Larkin's head with big right hands, and Larkin simply had no answer. After a bunch of rights connected to Larkin's eye, Winslow had no choice but to step in and stop it. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, ground, larkin, lawal, half minutes

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Filed under: StrikeforceThis is the Strikeforce live blog for Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal vs. Lorenz Larkin, a light heavyweight bout on tonight's Strikeforce on Showtime event from the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Lawal (8-1), a former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion scored a knockout against Roger Gracie in September. Larkin (12-0) earned this spot on the card by winning three times last year on Strikeforce Challengers cards. The live blog is below. More Coverage: Rockhold vs. Jardine Results | Latest Strikeforce News King Mo's entrance is rather mellow, as he makes his way towards the cage with his crown on. Kim Winslow is the referee. Round 1: Lawal throws first, a jab that comes up short. Lawal follows with a takedown and he's on top 30 seconds into the round. Lawal pounds away with Larkin trapped against the cage. Larkin tries to scoot out but Lawal steps over into Larkin's halfguard. Larkin turns towards Lawal and eats shots. Larkin tries to sit up only to have Lawal return him to his back. Lawal carefully scores with punches. Round 2: Round 3: Follow Us on Twitter Friend Us on Facebook Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: strikeforce, round, larkin, lawal, lawal return

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Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal had one fight left on his contract going into this weekend's fight with Lorenz Larkin, but he was able to do something about that. Mo has re-signed with the organization for another four fights, according to MMA Fighting (via Mo's manager): Muhammed Lawal, who meets Lorenz Larkin at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine Saturday night, has signed a new four-fight contract with Strikeforce, according to Lawal's manager Mike Kogan. It appears, at least according to Mo himself, that he didn't have much choice in the matter: @KingMoFHKing Mo Some of y'all mutha*****z is stupid!! We can't leave SF!! If u don't believe me....ask Dana u dumb mutha*****z!!!Jan 07 via TweetCaster for AndroidFavoriteRetweetReply He also stated that he wasn't mad though, because he was "bout to get paid". If Mo is able to get by Larkin tonight, he'd definitely be in contention for a shot at the vacant LHW title he once held. And it looks like he'll be a staple of the Strikeforce 205 division for quite a while.

Posted in: fight, strikeforce, lorenz larkin, mo, lawal

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That beef with Quinton Jackson is going to have to wait a while longer, I guess. Muhammed Lawal, who will battle Lorenz Larkin at Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" tomorrow night (Sat., Jan. 7, 2012) on Showtime, has signed a new four-fight deal with the promotion. That's according to MMAFighting.com, who also have the following quote from "King Mo" on a recent appearance on the MMA Hour: "I've got one more fight on my contract and then my contract ends in February. King Mo just wants to go where he can get paid and get paid without the check bouncing." And now he's paid. Lawal would have made for a rather interesting addition to the UFC's light heavyweight division but the reality is that he's far more likely to earn a crack at gold if he sticks around in Strikeforce. In fact, if he wins tomorrow night, he's likely in line for a title shot. That, and a check that won't bounce, is hard to pass up. Even if it puts his feud with "Rampage" on hold once again. Still, is anyone feeling like complaining at the news that Lawal is back in Strikeforce instead of the UFC?

Posted in: strikeforce, king, lawal, he, anyone feeling

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Luke Rockhold vs Keith Jardine Brent Brookhouse: Jardine has a lot of question marks heading into the fight. Given that we’ve never seen him at middleweight and how lackluster his career has been over the past few years this is a fairly easy pick. Yes, Jardine can make things awkward and has a difficult style to figure out, but this is a five round fight where he’s going to eventually get hurt and finished. Luke Rockhold by TKO, round 3.Leland Roling: Jardine is a tough man to beat, but Rockhold should have this on lockdown, especially if he can bring this fight to the ground. Luke Rockhold via decision.T.P. Grant: This match up left my scratching my head. Jardine, while an able and respected fighter, has never made the cut to 185 lbs in his MMA career. Luke Rockhold is coming off an impressive win over ‘Jacre’, the biggest of his career. I don’t think there is anything Jardine can really do to Rockhold that is going to slow him down for long and I expect the cut to hit Jardine hard. Rockhold takes firm control of this fight when it moves to championship rounds. Luke Rockhold via Decision. Fraser Coffeen: Let it be said that I suck at Strikeforce predictions. I think it’s a combination of there being a lot of untested fighters, plus fighters with some real down time between fights, so there end up being too many variables, and I get all muddled. Case in point: this fight. Jardine’s first time at 185, plus he’s getting up there in years, plus Rockhold only has 1 fight in the last 2 years. See what I mean? I think the key to beating Jardine is to rush him and knock him out, which Rockhold won’t do. Still, the champ has enough striking skill to outpoint Jardine. I think. But don’t rule an upset out here. Luke Rockhold by KO, round 3Tim Burke - I actually figured Jardine might have a shot here, until the press conference yesterday. Rockhold is still inexperienced and doesn’t have a lot of power in his hands, which is Jardine’s obvious weakness. I figured Rockhold definitely held the edge, but Jardine didn’t deserve to be a 4-1 dog. But at the PC yesterday, he said the cut was tough and he was still "big" less than 24 hours before weigh-ins. That’s going to be a draining cut even if he makes it, and I’m completely behind Luke now. I still can’t see a finish though. Luke Rockhold by decision.David Castillo: Despite all the hate being thrown Jardine’s way, I’ve gotta be the one to put on the stupid cap and say that I think Rockhold will have some trouble. I think it was Subo who brought up on fight linker’s podcast how uinique Jardine’s ability is to drag opponents down to his level and make everyone in the cage look like crap. Which is true when Jardine is not being floored by a left hook. I don’t know if that principle will hold here, as Rockhold doesn’t have a lights out left hook, but he is the better fighter and I think his "unorthodox" striking will be the difference in contrast to Keith’s not-unorthodox but sloppy, awkward striking. Luke Rockhold by TKO, round 4. Staff Picking Rockhold: Leland, Grant, Brookhouse, Fraser, Tim, Gould, David, RothStaff Picking Jardine: SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine Robbie Lawler vs Adlan AmagovBrent Brookhouse: I like Amagov a lot. He’s got very good technique for MMA striking and is actually exactly the right kind of guy to pick Lawler apart. Robbie has the chance for a one shot KO and you can never write him off, but I think he loses all three rounds here. Adlan Amagov by decision.Leland Roling: I’m not sold that Robbie Lawler walks through Amagov. Sure, Robbie possesses a brutal one-punch style of fighting, but I still believe Melvin Manhoef wrote the blueprint for strikers. Maintain distance and batter Lawler’s base. Amagov can do that with precision. The question is whether he can avoid Lawler’s power to start and avoid leaning in too far later in the fight. I’m not convinced he can win, but I believe he’s a surprisingly good bettor’s pick. Robbie Lawler via TKOT.P. Grant: Two strikes going into cage, Lawler wants to brawl and Amagov wants to box. Lawler’s camp has been adamant saying that his recent diagnosis with asthma will make all the difference with Lawler’s cardio problems. I still question how Lawler trains, he is infamous for skipping sparring sessions and preferring to lift weights rather than work on skills or cardio. I think Amagov stays on the outside, survives the early rounds and drags Lawler into deep water. Adlan Amagov via TKO, Round 3Fraser Coffeen: Lawler’s loss to Tim Kennedy looms heavy in my mind. Though only 29, he’s an 11 year veteran, and those years are catching up with him. Lawler grew more patient in his fantastic post-UFC run, but as of late, he seems to be moving back towards that one punch KO style he used to employ, and not with great results. I think he relies on the Hail Mary here. And I think it fails him. Adlan Amagov via KO, round 1Tim Burke - If Robbie Lawler could remember that he used to be a wrestler, he’d probably be able to take this without a ton of difficulty (despite Amagov’s improvements on the floor). But he’s purely a standnbanger now, and I don’t think that’s going to fly with a more technical striker like Amagov. He’s not throwing the hail mary in this one. Adlan Amagov by decisionDavid Castillo: Surprised by the amount love for a completely unknown Amagov. He is a technical striker, but I think of him as an incredibly poor man’s version of Mamed Khalidov. And he gets way too loose with some of the more "cute" tactics of his on the feet (like the roundhouse kick, which he seems to love). Inexperienced, and unrefined, I think Lawler catches him at some point. Robbie Lawler by TKO, round 2. Staff Picking Lawler: Leland, David, RothStaff Picking Amagov: Grant, Brookhouse, Fraser, Tim, GouldMuhammed Lawal vs Lorenz LarkinBrent Brookhouse: I hate this fight. This is where the lack of depth in Strikeforce hurts them and their ability to bring along fighters correctly. I’m a huge fan of Larkin, but he’s not ready for Mo yet. That was made pretty clear in struggling in his win against "The Slim Shady of MMA" Nick Rossborough. Larkin is a lot of fun to watch but he has too many holes in his wrestling game and, as much as it pains me to say this, Lawal will exploit those badly. Muhammed Lawal by decision.Leland Roling: Similar to the Mein vs. Woodley showdown, it’s a high-flying striker vs. wrestler battle that will likely hit the ground quickly. I think Larkin has a decent chance at catching Lawal with something crazy in the opening exchanges, but it’s difficult for a fighter who relies heavily on kicks to maintain his legs against a world class wrestler. Lawal shoots, gets a takedown, and batters Larkin to a victory. Muhammed Lawal via decision.T.P. Grant: Gian Villante was able to take down Larkin without much effort, I think Lawal is going to have a field day with Larkin. The only way I think Larkin is able to stay competitive in this fight is if we see the see Lawal that wanted to box and showboat against Feijao instead of wrestle. And even then I think Larkin would have to get lucky to notch a win. Muhammed Lawal via Decision. Tim Burke - See above re: Mo’s wrestling. The only difference to me is that I don’t see Mo being tentative on the ground like he was against Mousasi. I think he’s going to get a GnP finish. Muhammed Lawal by TKO.David Castillo: Easy pick. If Larkin had more power, I might be inclined to consider him for an upset pick, but he doesn’t, so I can’t. Even so, Lawal has a pretty sturdy beard, and so I don’t expect him to get hurt at any point. It took Feijao a hurricane of strikes to finally put Mo down, and besides, Larkin won’t be able to avoid the takedowns. At all. Because I think Lawal is a student of the game, and is an underrated grappler, I see him passing guard and pounding Larkin out. I predict it’ll be the most dominating performance of the night, actually. Muhammed Lawal by Rear Naked Choke, round 2. Staff Picking Lawal: Leland, Grant, Brookhouse, Fraser, Tim, Gould, David, RothStaff Picking Larkin: Tyron Woodley vs Jordan MeinBrent Brookhouse: Mein is a good fighter but Jason High already showed how to take the decision against him. Woodley is very good at what needs to be done to get the win here. Tyron Woodley by decision.Leland Roling: It’s hard not to like Jordan Mein. He’s exciting to watch and takes the risks necessary to win. But Woodley’s wrestling will take full advantage of that aggressiveness, plowing Mein into the canvas and controlling him from the top. Tyron Woodley via decision.T.P. Grant: I’m going to side with Brookhouse and Rolling here. Wooldey’s wrestling is just too good for Mein. Crazier things have happened than Mein knocking out Woodley, but I don’t see it happening. Tyorn Woodley via decision. Tim Burke - While I do think that Tyron Woodley is an excellent wrestler, people are putting way too much stock into the Mein loss to Jason High. That was a closer fight than people seem to think, and it was 16 months ago. Mein’s takedown defense has improved a lot since then, and I still feel that Woodley doesn’t take punches all that well. Mein at +280 is a joke, this a close fight. GO CANADA! Jordan Mein by TKO.David Castillo: Mein has picked up some good wins, but I wasn’t too impressed. He beat a Zaromskis that was totally uninterested, and Santos is just not a good fighter at this weight (or any weight for that matter). Even if Woodley decides to stand and bang, I like his chances. Tyron Woodley by decision. Staff Picking Woodley: Leland, Brookhouse, Fraser, Gould, David, Grant, RothStaff Picking Mein: TimTarec Saffiedine vs Tyler StinsonBrent Brookhouse: Sinson’s reach may be a problem but I still like Saffiedine to get inside and outwork him to take two of the three rounds. Tarec Saffiedine by decision.Leland Roling: At a glance, Saffiedine is the clear cut favorite in this match-up. He has the punching prowess to get the job done standing, and he possesses enough credible wrestling skill to maintain his feet or control from the top. There is a chance that won’t work against Stinson. At 6’3" tall, Stinson has a 6" height advantage on top of proven knockout power. His lone crutch is on the ground, and Tarec hasn’t been submitting opponents left and right. This could get interesting, possibly an upset in the works. Tarec Saffiedine via decision.Tim Burke - I don’t even know why Stinson got this fight, to be honest. Quinn Mulhern or Jason High would have been much better tests for the Sponge. I guess 15 second KO’s will do that for you. It’ll probably be exciting, which is a good way to start a card. But Saffiedine will expose a lot of the holes in Stinson’s standup game, despite the height/reach advantage. Tarec Saffiedine by decision.David Castillo: I could see this being a slugfest early ,and Stinson should catch Saffiedine early, who might be unsuspecting, but after that it’s all Tarec. He’s more technical, and more polished. Tarec Saffiedine by decision. T.P. Grant: With everyone and their brother picking Saffiedine it seems crazy to pick Stinson. Well, challenge accepted. The huge height difference I think will give Saffiedine fits, and Stinson has legit KO power. Tyler Stinson by TKOStaff Picking Saffiedine: Leland, Brookhouse, Fraser, Tim, Gould, David, RothStaff Picking Stinson: Grant

Posted in: fight, rockhold, jardine, lawal, woodley

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"The King" will continue to reign in Strikeforce after all. Muhammed Lawal, who meets Lorenz Larkin at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine Saturday night, has signed a new four-fight contract with Strikeforce, according to Lawal's manager Mike Kogan. Lawal had one fight left on his current contract, so this assures that he will fight in Strikeforce for at least five more fights. This also means that Lawal won't be moving over to the UFC any time soon. Lawal (8-1) is 3-1 in Strikeforce. He recently defeated Roger Gracie in September to get back on track following his light heavyweight title loss to Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante in Aug. 2010. He recently retracted his "cancer patient" comments about Strikeforce on a recent episode of The MMA Hour and left the door open for a return to the organization. "I've got one more fight on my contract and then my contract ends in February," Lawal said. "King Mo just wants to go where he can get paid and get paid without the check bouncing." Done and done. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, strikeforce, muhammed lawal, contract, lawal

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Former light-heavyweight champion and consummate entertainer Muhammed Lawal squares off with electric striker Lorenz Larkin on the main card of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine on Showtime this Saturday. Lorenz "The Monsoon" Larkin (12-0) is a must-see fighter with a background in Kung Fu. He's complemented that unusual foundation with the more traditional striking arts of boxing and Muay Thai to wield a very creative and effective standing arsenal. Larkin is a big boy with serious strength and excellent agility, footwork and fighting instincts. In his first ten pro fights, Larkin was utterly devastating, winning eight by first-round TKO. After blowing up most of his opponents on the feet, including Scott Lighty in his Strikeforce debut, Larkin encountered what seemed to be an unfavorable match up in D1 wrestler, NFL-level athlete and former heavyweight Gian Villante. The first round unfolded poorly for Larkin, who was caught off-guard by a well-timed Villante takedown early and spent the entire first round on his back (though he was still composed and showed a capable guard). The last two rounds were classic Lorenz Larkin: he shellacked Villante with crushing low kicks, high knees, roundhouse kicks and a stunning one-two, eventually taking the unanimous decision. "King Mo" was on top of the world when he defeated Gegard Mousasi to snare the Strikeforce light-heavyweight crown in 2010. At the time, he was undefeated after seven fights and had demonstrated that he was more than a one-dimensional wrestler with crisp and capable boxing. Things would take a turn for the worst in his next outing. He lost the strap when Rafael Cavalcante finished him in the third with strikes and then announced that he'd be absent while undergoing a major knee surgery that would replace both his anterior and posterior crucial ligaments. Since that "Feijao" fight in August of 2010, Lawal has only made one appearance; a rousing knockout of star-grappler Roger Gracie on the Barnett vs. Kharitonov card in September of 2011. Gifs and analysis in the full entry. SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine Sorry ... this King Mo gif from Cage Potato was too good not to include. Lawal made waves right off the bat for his diverse talent and comical showmanship. Heralded for his mile-long list of high-level wrestling accomplishments, fans expected a takedown clinic against Travis Wiuff in his MMA debut overseas in the Sengoku promotion, but were treated to a quick and violent knockout instead. In fact, in his first six outings, Lawal only significantly applied his wrestling against the resilient Ryo Kawamura and clobbered the remaining five opponents by TKO, culminating with Mike Whitehead in his Strikeforce debut. Wrestling is commonly asserted as the best foundation for MMA and the most effective art to complement it with is basic boxing. Wrestling has the ability to negate most of the myriad dynamics of combat by narrowing the fight down to that aspect alone, and being good at punching people in the face is always helpful. The focus of balance, footwork and the use of hands in boxing is a perfect fit for an adept wrestler. Just watch Don Frye pick and choose between those two arts while coasting through three opponents to win the UFC 8 tournament in his first night of pro MMA for a classic example. Mo is still relatively inexperienced in MMA as he's just surpassing three years in the sport. While the finite mechanics of more elaborate arts like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai can take a lifetime to master, the straightforward combination of good hands and takedowns can maximize an athletic fighter's potential.(Defensive footnote: I'm not saying wrestling and boxing aren't elaborate.) Basically, Lawal's been able to take down strikers and out-box grapplers. His freakish natural abilities and physical gifts tie everything together and should also be credited for his success. Lorenz Larkin isn't scared to throw jumping roundhouse, jumping front, spinning roundhouse kicks or Capoeira kicks, but I've decided to include more of his functional striking than the highlight-reel sizzle. He's very prolific with his feet but I imagine he'll simplify his arsenal considering the takedown threat that Lawal represents. Larkin is at an astronomical level in all facets of his striking. His footwork, head movement, timing, grasp of range and technique are all phenomenal. He smoothly cycles through a vast assortment of striking violence and is one of the most gifted and exhilarating kickboxers in the game. The finesse and quickness of his one-two and his low kicks is startling. Along with his aggression and unpredictability, those two strikes are probably his best weapons. On the feet, it's quite obvious that Larkin is at the top of the food chain. Out of all the newer generation strikers employing unorthodox kicks with a TMA-flavor, I think Larkin is the most effective. Now he'll just have to demonstrate that ability against top competition and put his weaker points to the test. One minute into his fight with Villante (right), he tried to counter the low single by freeing his leg and circling left. Villante secures the leg for leverage, keenly adjusts for the new angle and continues to surge forward after the initial burst. This allows Villante to get deep penetration. Larkin doesn't underhook on the right side or control Villante's head and ends up on his back. This is a prime example of the diversity he's facing, as time expired with Larkin struggling underneath Villante. One split-second action can result in giving the entire round away. To the left, Villante catches a kick and looks to sweep Larkin's supporting leg. Watch his waist and hips in this sequence: using his left hand, Larkin is able to steady his upper-body and shrink his hips back and away from Villante. This cushion of space and his freakish balance allows him to stay upright. Now check out the Capoeira-style roundhouse kick that Larkin lands at the end of the sequence. This might be slightly off-topic from the match up analysis, but I consulted with the BloodyElbow.com staff on the technical specs and it ended up fostering an interesting discussion. Fraser Coffeen, staff striking guru and Judo Chop overlord, reached out to Phil Wills, an experienced Capoeira practitioner. His commentary follows and I've added hyperlinks in the appropriate spots. "The first is the meia lua de compasso (Half Moon Compass). This is much more of a literal spinning kick with the hand on the floor and the back kicking leg coming around with the non-kicking leg crouched to the floor. Rumored to have been the kick that ended the fight between Valdamar Santana and Helio Gracie. Or it could be a Martelo Rotado, which is a spinning roundhouse. But the other one that might be what you are looking for that makes more sense in an MMA fight could be Martelo-do-Chao; literally 'roundhouse from the floor.' In a pinch, referring to the kick as a Martelo says enough without saying too much. A martelo is a general term for a roundhouse kick." Though he doesn't claim to be an expert, staff member Tom Mendes has three years of Capoeira training. I -- perhaps mistakenly -- likened Larkin's kick to the type that Cub Swanson has used in the past. Ironically, it's the same kick Ricardo Lamas threw at Swanson (right), thus Cub smiling and saying, "That's my move." Tom mentioned that the Lamas kick seemed similar to the Chapeu de Couro: "Lamas goes to the ground before applying the kick, it was fast and a bit off camera but he did do it, which to me is a Chapeu de Couro and not really a Martelo, but they're similar kicks anyway (Martelo de Chao or Martelo de Negativa, which are the same kicks with different names and mostly resembles the Chapeu de Couro)." This inspired another consultation with Phil Wills for his take on the Chapeu de Couro. "I would not go so far as to call it Chapeu de Couro. That is much more of a crouched roundhouse attack where as this is more standing and using the arm as balance. After doing a little more research, I would recommend just going with the term Martelo if you want to use the term at all. Many of the different kicks mentioned all can be interchangeable depending upon the school that a person went to. Some people use Chapeu de Couro and Meia Lua de Compasso interchangeably. The key for the Chapeu de Couro is that it is done in a stance that is referred to as negativa, which is a crouched stance. So I would just call it a Martelo if the fighter has a capoeira background. Many of the other kicks mentioned here usually end with the kicker making an almost full 360 degree rotation in completing the kick." Forgive the digression but I thought the exchange of different opinions and knowledgeable insight was worth publishing. Back to King Mo vs. Larkin: While Lawal has demonstrated a nasty set of hands, there's no sense in dueling with Larkin on the feet when he can enforce his takedown prowess. This is easily Larkin's biggest leap in competition, but his striking is for real. As in any grappler vs. striker pairing, Lawal should dangle the looming threat of his takedowns to instill hesitancy in Larkin. Both setting up his shots with strikes and faking level-drops to set up his boxing will help to neutralize Larkin's scorching stand up. An X-factor could be how well Lawal has recovered from his knee surgery. Larkin is frighteningly agile and Lawal's ability to change levels and explode for takedowns is a pivotal aspect. King Mo is the safer choice here. However, Larkin being assessed in the +400s on the betting lines might be worth a look. My Prediction: Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal by decision. Larkin vs. Villante gifs by Caposa King Mo showboat gif via CagePotato.com All others via Zombie Prophet of IronForgesIron.com Poll King Mo vs. Lorenz Larkin Mo Larkin   10 votes | Results

Posted in: larkin, kick, mo, lawal, villante

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Filed under: StrikeforceMo Lawal can admit it now: things didn't go the way he thought they would when he first walked though the doors of the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif. What happened was simple, really. He came in with all the swagger you'd expect from "King" Mo, and then he found out the hard way that he wasn't the only MMA royalty on those particular mats. Or as he put it: "I got beat up." And we're not talking just normal bumps and bruises, either. We're talking good old-fashioned butt-whoopings. One right after another, after another, after another. For the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, a man who had racked up seven straight wins in just a year and a half of professional competition, this wasn't just a surprise -- it was a travesty. It was a challenge to everything he thought he knew about himself and his abilities. It was unacceptable. And he had his best friend and former Oklahoma State wrestling teammate, Daniel Cormier, to thank for it. Cormier convinced Lawal to come up to the Bay Area gym after he heard that his old friend wasn't totally satisfied with the training he was getting down in Orange County. Lawal had recently suffered the first loss of his career in a Strikeforce 205-pound title defense against Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante in August of 2010, and now he was looking for a new home after rehabbing a knee injury. "I was asking him to come up here," said Cormier. "I heard he was looking to move and we talked a lot. I told him it was the best place for him." After weeks of going back and forth, Lawal finally made the move. But when set foot on the mats after being out of action for a while, he was in for a rough welcome. "I remember him struggling early on," Cormier said. "His timing was off. He hadn't fought in almost a year. He just wasn't himself." His first day of sparring, as Lawal remembered it, he went up against his buddy Cormier. He started off getting the worst of it, and things only deteriorated from there as his cardio showed the effects of his injury layoff. "I was kind of getting beat down," Lawal said. "I'm not going to lie." The next day of sparring, Lawal got matched up with a tall, lanky surfer kid by the name of Luke Rockhold -- a middleweight who Lawal took one look at before deciding that his fortunes in the gym were about to change. "I was like, yes! I'm going to smash him!" Lawal said. The way he saw it, Rockhold was a pretty boy who wasn't going to like getting hit in the face. He was, in Lawal's eyes, "a fake Ken doll." But before they strapped on the gloves, Cormier tried to warn his friend that it might not be as easy a sparring session as he thought. "I told him, Luke is a guy you have to watch out for. He goes a thousand percent all the time." Lawal wasn't convinced. This guy? The one who looks like he stepped out of an Abercrombie & Fitch catalog? He was the one who was going to give a former Strikeforce champ and NCAA All-American a hard time? Please. "I was like, I can't wait till I spar with Luke," Lawal said. "I'm going to put them thangs on him." A few rounds later, Lawal found out what Cormier was talking about. Rockhold popped right back up after Lawal took him down. He fired off kicks that seemed to come from odd angles and yet always found an open target. Lawal found himself getting punched, kneed, and kicked in places he thought he'd been defending well. "I got beat up," Lawal said. "...I got exposed. Because I came from training in Orange County, which was a good camp, some good guys out there, but the whole level of intensity, I felt like I was in Holland or something. I was like, these guys are trying to knock me out." Cormier had tried to tell him what he was in for, but maybe it was something he had to experience for himself to understand. That's how it was for Cormier when he first joined the team, he said. "Other guys may train hard and spar hard, but it's different here, where you have so many top guys and they're all there every single day. I think that's probably the biggest thing. There's a core group of guys who are here every day, and they're all mostly top ten in the world. It's a daily grind. You don't go to the gym and not have to deal with Luke Rockhold, [Josh] Koscheck, [Jon] Fitch, Cain [Velasquez] -- they're all there every time you step on the mat. There's no easy days." Cormier knew his old friend would benefit from those daily battles, but he also had selfish reasons for enlisting him, he admitted. "I just know that my best years, whether it was wrestling or whatever, Mo was right there close to me. The comfort that I have training with that dude, his ability to talk you up when you're having bad days, just having a friend around helps so much." Still, it wasn't just himself he was trying to help by bringing Lawal onto the team, Cormier said. "I knew it would be good for him, but I also knew it would be good for Luke. We didn't have that many smaller guys for him, so Luke had been sparring me and Cain. That's not a good day for any [middleweight]." With Lawal now on the AKA roster, Rockhold had a sparring partner closer to his size who could help him improve his wrestling, and Lawal had one who would force him to work on his stand-up skills. It was a symbiotic relationship that benefited them both, even if it resulted in the two of them showing up places with matching cuts and bruises when they traveled together to promote their respective fights on Saturday night's Showtime card in Las Vegas. "I'm going to be real with y'all," Lawal said while sitting next to Rockhold at a recent media Q&A at the MGM Grand. "This man right here is a top three middleweight in the world. You see my eye? I've got a little black eye, that's because of him. He kneed me in the face and punched me." Rockhold just shrugged and smiled before showing off his own battle wounds courtesy of Lawal and explaining that "iron sharpens iron." Which is kind of the whole point, as you can tell when you glance around the room at a place like AKA. The mats are crowded with UFC and Strikeforce fighters, former and current champions who make sure that there are no days off inside those walls. And that, Lawal said, is exactly what he needed. That's why unbeaten prospect Lorenz Larkin is in trouble once the cage door closes on Saturday night, he explained. "He's undefeated. He's a tough, young kid, hungry like me, but I'm starving," Lawal said. "I'm an Ethiopian right now." That's the good part about taking your beatings in the gym. There, no one's watching. No one's keeping score. There, the pounding is intended to make you better, or at the very least tougher. It's on Saturday night, when the cameras are rolling and the crowd is cheering, that you find out if it worked. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: guy, day, cormier, lawal, wasnt

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When observing a bout, "King Mo" Lawal analyzes the fighters to see where they're making mistakes and standing out. Jon Jones and Lorenz Larkin have been subject to Lawal's analysis of fighting.

Posted in: jone, jon jones, lorenz larkin, lawal, lawals analysis

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"King" Mo Lawal won't be able to face the world's top light heavyweights under the current structure.

Posted in: heavyweight, light heavyweights, king, lawal, ceiling

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Most fighters will tell you they’re in the sport because they love the competition or want to prove they’re the best in the world by winning a championship. Then again, Muhammed Lawal has never played by anyone’s rules but his own. Lawal recently spoke about his upcoming bout with Lorenz Larkin on Saturday night’s Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine card where he made it clear he’s interested in all those things to an extent but for him it’s more about the money than anything else. Some Thoughts on Why Lawal Should Stay with Strikeforce When His Contract Expires “It gives me another win, another look at a different opponent, and more money in my pocket,” said Lawal in an interview with Strikeforce’s website when asked about the potential positives of his bout with Larkin. “I care about (the title/popularity), but at the same time, get me fights,” Lawal continued. “You can be a star, but you can be broke. I’m not trying to be a popular guy, but then be broke as hell. Money comes first. All that other stuff is nice, but I could care less who recognizes me. I can do the ‘King Mo’ thing to get people hyped up for the fights and to draw a little interest, but other than that, if I’m not fighting, I’d rather just chill and watch fights. I’m not the type of person that seeks stardom. No. I seek greatness.” Lawal made sure to give credit to Larkin in the interview and expects a solid scrap come showtime, explaining, “He’s a young, flashy fighter. He’s hungry, he stepped up to fight me, and it’s gonna be a good fight.” However, he doesn’t know that he’ll have any more of a challenge with him than he recently did in a knockout win over Roger Gracie. “See, Lorenz is talented, but I don’t know who would win between him and Gracie, because if Gracie got it to the ground, it’s over because Gracie’s dangerous. Lorenz, I don’t know if he has that one punch power, but he can pot shot you. They’re two dangerous opponents, but Gracie’s dangerous to where he can end the fight if it hits the ground; Lorenz is flashy, he’ll try to potshot you and move and do a bunch of jumping kicks, but in his last fight he got touched up a bit and I saw concern in his face going into the third round.” Fans can see if Lawal’s prediction plays out and how fat his pockets get when he faces off with Larkin on the Showtime broadcast this weekend. Other bouts include Tyron Woodley vs. Jordan Mein and a headlining title-fight between middleweight champion Luke Rockhold and wily veteran Keith Jardine. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE Tweet

Posted in: fight, i ’m, gracie, lawal, gracie ’s

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Despite its presence looming over Saturday night's (January 7, 2012) light heavyweight showdown, former Strikeforce champion Muhammed Lawal does not have a shot at the title on his mind. So he says. Lawal dropped the belt in the summer of 2010 to Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante after suffering a knee injury and losing much of his explosiveness, which kept him from avoiding the the Brazilian's strikes. The former standout Oklahoma State wrestler learned his lesson, took over a year off to properly heal, and by the time he came back to MMA competition, he destroyed undefeated prospect Roger Gracie via first round knockout. His win, coupled with Dan Henderson vacating his title to head to the UFC, created an opportunity to get his title back. "King Mo" has an opportunity to earn that shot if he can get past Lorenz Larkin this weekend on the Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" main card. Lawal spoke with Bloody Elbow Radio about training with Lyoto Machida in Brazil, utilizing his own stand-up against Larkin and revealed some of the best pranks he's pulled on the MMA world. See for yourself. Matt Bishop: We were talking with Lorenz Larkin, who you'll be fighting against on Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine and he told us he was training his wrestling with Kurt Angle. Muhammed Lawal: Ok, that's cool. Matt Bishop: Although he revealed to us he was not indeed serious, and Angle is apparently training for the Olympics again. Do you think anybody he could train with could help him stop your wrestling? Muhammed Lawal: Well who says I'm gonna wrestle? Yeah, I've got a wrestling background, but y'all see my fights? I've only used wrestling in about 2-3 fights. I don't use wrestling much at all. Who says I've got to wrestle? I like to throw hands too. Matt Bishop: Throwing hands has come so naturally to you and we've seen it evolve fight to fight in that aspect. What do you attribute that to the most? Muhammed Lawal: Great coaches and my willingness to learn. I'm a student of combat. I watch K-1, Muay Thai, I love boxing. That keeps me open and then I go train with Jeff Mayweather, Javier Mandez and many, many others and I get a lot of work in my stand-up. I enjoy the stand-up. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You went back and you helped Lyoto Machida for a couple weeks in Brazil. You said that Machida's brother and his dad are "geniuses." I'm wondering what was it about working with them that made you think they were so smart in the sport? Muhammed Lawal: It's like this, man. I was there for two weeks. I showed Lyoto a few things, we got some takedown defense things out. I'd take him down, I'd show him one thing and his dad, with no wrestling background would be like, "You're doing this, this and this wrong." I showed that move to him just once and his dad's already got the whole thing picked up and he's critiquing Lyoto's practice. His brother was the same way. They both have a keen eye for small details. Their system just works. I see why Lyoto is a good fighter. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You went down there to help Lyoto, but was there a give and take where they helped you improve some bits and pieces of your game as well? Muhammed Lawal: Yeah, I brought my boxing coach and I was working some boxing and some MMA stuff and I picked up a lot out there. I was just getting in some training techniques and sparring together. That was good enough. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Lorenz Larkin, people talk about him as this flashy striker, but when you see a lot of the best guys in the world, it's those straight strikes, the fundamental stuff that they've perfect. What's your take on his flashiness versus your fundamentals in the striking game? Muhammed Lawal: Flash just works for him, but he's a whole different fighter. Whatever he does, it works for him. It's not gonna work against me, though. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): When we spoke to Lorenz, he talked about who he'd been working with and he has been working with some solid names, Phil Davis and Kenny Johnson, the Team Blackhouse wrestling coach. How much can he realistically grow in the four weeks since the fight got announced? Muhammed Lawal: I know Kenny Johnson. He's got a good Greco background and I know him well from wrestling. I know Phil Davis. He can help him but Phil's got a different style. He's a different type of wrestler, it's conflicting styles. Phil Davis is like a black Ben Askren and Kenny Johnson's a grinder. I'm cool with Kenny but if he needs help for wrestling for his next fight, he can't do it right now. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I've got a question here sent by a fan "There was a rumor going out from last year about you sparring with top K-1 kickboxer Tyrone Spong and you got some of your front teeth knocked out. What possessed you to go against Spong hard with no mouthpiece?" Muhammed Lawal: Can I tell you a secret? That shit is all a lie. I made that shit up. I made it all up. People don't realize that in MMA, I could say, "Guess what, I submitted Jacare!" and people are like, "Mo submitted Jacare!" Here's the thing that happened. Siyar [Bahadurzada], Siyar the Killer went on twitter with this joke like, "Hey, look at Mo's grill, dude's missing teeth because he was sparring with Tyrone Spong." He was just joking and people saw that and were like, "Aww man, Mo got his teeth knocked out by Tyrone Spong," and I was like, "Siyar, here's the password to my twitter. Go out and tell everyone it was not a joke and say, 'Hey, I'm going to get my teeth fixed, but I'll be alright,'" but by the time Siyar tweeted that, it was like 9 o'clock at nighttime. It really never happened. We just made it up. It was all a joke. You know how dumb people are, they don't care to do research. Just like I got choked out by James Toney. I got submitted by James Toney. Remember when I said that? And people were like, "Aw, man, Mo sucks. He got submitted by James Toney." That was fake too. I could have just as easily said I sparred with James Toney and knocked him out with one right hand. Matt Bishop: This is an important fight for you because it could determine whether you get a light heavyweight title match or not. Is that something you're looking forward to doing? Getting back into the cage, fighting this fight and then fighting for that championship? Muhammed Lawal: Yeah, I'm just looking forward to winning the fight. I'm not worried about titles just yet. I've got to worry about Lorenz Larkin and then we'll move forward. Let's worry about this fight, that's all. Matt Bishop: They announced this show about four weeks out. Did you know about this fight before they announced it? Did you get into training earlier than that or were you just training all the time and then you implemented something for Lorenz? Muhammed Lawal: Man, let me tell you something. I don't think anybody knew. When we found out, it was like a month out. I was training with Lyoto. I thought the fight would be late January, early February. No one knew. Fuck it. Luke Rockhold had Keith Jardine on January 7th. Matt Bishop: What are the two or three biggest things you have to do in this fight to come out with a victory? Muhammed Lawal: I've got to keep my hands up, throw a stiff jab and keep pressure on him. So what do you think, Maniacs? Will Lawal stand with Larkin as long as he says? Do you see any parallels between his fight and Ovince St. Preux vs. Gegard Mousasi? Opinions, please.

Posted in: fight, lyoto, lawal, im, muhammed

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Two of the most exciting young light heavyweights on the Strikeforce roster will meet this Saturday night as former champion Muhammed Lawal takes on undefeated rising prospect Lorenz Larkin on the main card of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine in Las Vegas. Lawal proved he'd put a debilitating knee injury behind him in his last fight, a first round knockout of Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Roger Gracie this past September. In Larkin, he's hoping to hand his second consecutive undefeated prospect their first career loss en route to winning back his title. Lorenz Larkin has feasted on local MMA products and had his way with the Strikeforce Challengers fighters in his young professional career. He feels that now is finally his time to make a mark in Strikeforce and he's going to have to get through one of the most talented 205 pound fighters in the world to do it. Will "King Mo" experience against elite competition be too much for Larkin? Can "The Monsoon" rain on Lawal's parade with a huge upset victory? How does each talented light heavyweight secure a victory on Saturday night? Let's find out: Muhammed Lawal Record: 8-1 overall, 3-1 in Strikeforce Key Wins: Gegard Mousasi (Strikeforce: Nashville), Roger Gracie (Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov), Mike Whitehead (Strikeforce: Evolution) Key Losses: Rafael Cavalcante (Strikeforce: Houston) How he got here: The story of Muhammed Lawal's wrestling career is truly a throwback to the motto, "hard work pays off." He began his collegiate career at the University of Central Oklahoma, becoming a Division II runner up in 2001 before winning the D2 college championship in 2002. He then transferred to Oklahoma State, winning the Big 12 championship and All-America honors. With his collegiate wrestling career behind him, Lawal began wrestling nationally and internationally. He won multiple tournaments world-wide and medaled in several others, including winning the United States Senior Freestyle national championship three times in 2005, 2006 and 2008. "King Mo" began his mixed martial arts career after winning his last Senior national title in wrestling, competing in four consecutive Sengoku events in Japan at both heavyweight and light heavyweight. Lawal crushed the likes of Travis Wiuff, Mark Kerr and Yukiya Naito, compiling a 5-0 record before Strikeforce beckoned. He made his Strikeforce debut in 2009, destroying Mike Whitehead in the first round which earned him a title shot against champion Gegard Mousasi, a fighter ranked in the top 10 worldwide at light heavyweight. Lawal blasted Mousasi with his wrestling, repeatedly taking the Dutch fighter down and being completely unafraid of "The Dreamcatcher's" submission game off his back over the course of five rounds to win the title. He attempted to defend his belt against Rafael Cavalcante with an injured knee and it showed. Lawal looked sluggish and didn't have much on his takedown attempts, eating multiple elbows and knees when he got too close. Eventually, "Feijao" hurt him badly and finished "King Mo" with strikes in the third round, handing Lawal his first career loss in MMA. After recovering from a knee injury, Lawal returned to the cage this past September and handed Brazilian jiu-jitsu master Roger Gracie his first MMA loss, knocking him out in the first round. The victory put him right back into top contender status and he'll battle Larkin for a crack at the belt again. How he gets it done: While Lawal is an accomplished wrestler, he's also got devastating power in both hands. He smashed the likes of Travis Wiuff and Mike Whitehead with his hands standing and also blasted Mark Kerr with ground and pound after a takedown. His fists are just as dangerous as his ability to take the fight to the ground. Lawal constantly changes his stance in the stand-up, trying to confuse his opponent and he's even been known to drop his hands and bait strikes. He utilizes strong footwork and is lightning quick with his movements which allows him to capitalize on the mistakes of his opposition. He's got a strong left jab and he can mix in a powerful right and left hook as well, the right hook especially has some knockout power. Unlike Larkin, Lawal does not use many flashy attacks. He's relies more on the basic fundamental strikes and he can be patient if need be. His fight with Roger Gracie was a bit of a staring contest before he exploded forward and knocked him out.. The thing that will be on everyone's mind for this fight is not if, but when Lawal shoots in for a takedown. Larkin hasn't shown much off his back thus far and he could be in for some serious trouble if Lawal can get him down early in a round. Lawal can lay the wood if he can posture up and create an avenue for ground and pound. Don't be surprised to see him stand long enough for Larkin to drop his defenses. If Larkin refuses to drop his defenses for the takedown, Lawal is likely confident enough in his stand-up to go toe-to-toe with "The Monsoon." Lorenz Larkin: Record: 12-0 overall, 3-0 in Strikeforce Key Wins: Gian Villante (Strikeforce Challengers), Scott Lighty (Strikeforce Challengers), Nick Rossborough (Strikeforce Challengers) Key Losses: none How he got here: Lorenz Larkin has been one of the most active fighters out there. He began his amateur mixed martial arts career at the end of 2008 and went 7-0 with six stoppage victories in a matter of six months. He had turned pro by the middle of 2009. Despite being very undersized, Larkin spent the majority of the start of his professional career fighting at both heavyweight and light heavyweight. From February 2010-February 2011, he fought eight times professionally and finished strong with six straight knockouts. "The Monsoon" got the call to the big leagues when Satoshi Ishii went down with an injury and he not only stepped up on short notice, but destroyed K-1 kickboxing veteran Scott Lighty on the feet, scoring a second round technical knockout. He followed up his victory with two decisions against significantly larger fighters Nick Rossborough and Gian Villante, the former being his first Strikeforce Challengers main event. After three straight wins on the Challengers series, the Riverside native felt he was ready to be tested against the big dogs in the Strikeforce light heavyweight division. How he gets it done: Larkin has spent a significant portion of his camp working with Blackhouse wrestling coach Kenny Johnson, who he says has been helping him gain confidence in his striking while stepping into the cage against someone with an elite wrestling background. "The Monsoon" is going to need all the confidence he can get against Lawal and he's going to have to fight smart. If he's too timid out there, afraid of the takedown, "King Mo" will simply outstrike him. If he's too aggressive with his attack, Lawal will likely put him on his back. It's a very fine line that he has to find early and he has to find it before the former champion gets comfortable. Larkin won't be throwing the flash head kicks, but don't be surprised to see him go to work on Lawal's legs with some quick, short kicks that he can snap back before they're caught. He also will likely be snapping his jab while circling to keep from being a stationary target that's easy to either catch with a big punch or get tackled to the ground. Fight X-Factor: The most obvious of factors is Lawal's wrestling. It's going to be in the back of Larkin's mind throughout the fight and will be a big factor even if he doesn't use it. We've seen time and time again that great strikers tone it down a notch for fear of the takedown. If Larkin does this and allows "King Mo" to get a groove in his striking, he could be in trouble in both departments. Larkin needs to be smooth and confident, of he could be in some serious trouble. Bottom Line: This should be a terrific match-up between two of the most exciting light heavyweights on the Strikeforce roster. "King Mo" is not a one-dimensional wrestler, he's only really used his wrestling as his primary offense in one fight. He's got lethal hands and packs some serious power so expect to see some terrific striking exchanges. If Lawal feels he's losing momentum, that's when he's going to shoot in. This bout should be fun if it goes to the ground because Lawal likely won't be afraid of Larkin's bottom game and will be aggressive with guard pass attempts and strikes on the ground. This fight could be over in minutes, or it could be a 15 minute thriller. Who will come out on top at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine? Tell us your predictions in the comments below! Poll Which dangerous light heavyweight will reign supreme on Saturday night? Muhammed Lawal Lorenz Larkin   4 votes | Results

Posted in: strikeforce, heavyweight, larkin, lawal, he

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In the latest segment of MMA Life, King Mo Lawal breaks down what he listens to most and shows off his old iPod.

Posted in: break, life, mo, king, lawal

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The name Muhammed Lawal may not be recognized by many mixed martial arts fans today. However, throw in the nickname "King Mo" and fans become well aware of who we are referring to. Lawal, who stands 6'0'' and weighs 205 pounds has come to be one of the most popular fighters in MMA today...

Posted in: fan, mo, king, lawal, muhammed

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Scott Lighty, Gian Villante, Nick Rossborough, Muhammad "King Mo" Lawal. One of these is not like the others, and that's no slight to the others. It's no secret Lawal, a former Strikeforce light-heavyweight titleholder, will be a huge step up in competition for undefeated prospect Lorenz Larkin.

Posted in: strikeforce, larkin, king, lawal, other

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Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, MMA Fighting Exclusive, News, VideosLAS VEGAS -- "King" Muhammed Lawal is one of the brightest minds in the sport, so with just a few hours before Friday night's much-anticipated UFC 141 event, we caught up with the "King" himself to break down the top three fights on the card.  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, king, lawal, mind, muhammed

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In a marked contrast to the middleweight division, Strikeforce's light-heavyweights seem to be sorting themselves out despite the absence of any consistent championship presence. Let's take a look at how the weight class is shaping up. The Top Five Since losing his title to Muhammed Lawal in 2010, Gegard Mousasi has gone 4-0-1, splitting his time between Strikeforce and Dream. The recent fight against Ovince St. Preux, which saw Mousasi dominate en route to a unanimous decision, washed the bad taste left in the mouths of many after that underwhelming effort against Keith Jardine, which ended in a majority draw. After the win over St. Preux, the typically lackadaisical Mousasi admitted that he hadn't been training as diligently as he should've, and he's vowed to approach his career with greater intent. A clear divisional front-runner. As of April, 2010, Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal was poised to become one of the break-out stars of the light-heavyweight class. With an undefeated record, a fresh spot in the division's Top 10, and a championship belt around his waist (the latter two at the expense of a hapless Gegard Mousasi), Lawal seemed to be fulfilling all his great promise. A disappointing follow-up effort against Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante, however, saw Lawal gas out before being hammered into a technical knockout, slowing his train significantly. Lawal has since rebounded from this first loss with a September knockout of Roger Gracie. Rafael Feijao completes the championship triangle at the top of Strikeforce's light-heavyweight division. Like Lawal and Mousasi, Feijao dethroned the champion in impressive fashion, but failed to defend the title (Feijao, for his part, lost the belt to current UFC fighter and general paragon of manliness Dan Henderson). He likewise rebounded in September with a KO victory. Knockouts, technical or otherwise, of Atnwain Britt, Aaron Rosa, and Lawal keep him deep in the title hunt. Lorenz Larkin, undefeated in twelve fights and with three straight victories coming under the Strikeforce banner, is a clear asset to this 205-pound division. His dizzying kick-boxing arsenal and talent for takedown defense has earned him a lot of buzz. He'll be put to a dire test this January when he steps into the cage with Mo Lawal. Mike Kyle's record is as spotty as his reputation, but in the last four years he's shown a renewed focus at 205 pounds. Kyle's finished nearly every one of his opponents and, aside from an upset submission loss to Wayne Cole, he's faltered only in his efforts against elite heavyweights Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Silva. A rematch with Feijao, whom he knocked out in 2009, would make a lot of sense. After the jump: More! The Best of the Rest Ovince St. Preux looked out of his depth in the opening rounds of his fight with Mousasi, but seemed close to staging a comeback in the third. At 5-1-0 in Strikeforce, with strong wrestling skills and decent power in his hands, he remains a serious factor in the division. Submission artist Trevor Smith spent the last half of 2011 earning a pair of victories in the Strikeforce Challengers series, bringing his record to 9-1-0. Undefeated at light-heavyweight, and with every one of his wins coming by way of submission or, in one rare case, knockout, Smith will be looking to separate himself from the pack with a win over upcoming opponent Gian Villante. Gian Villante entered Strikeforce as a much-lauded heavyweight prospect, but an abrupt TKO loss to Chad Griggs silenced much of that fanfare. A drop to light-heavyweight yielded only marginally better results, as he lost to Lorenz Larkin (by decision). A decision victory over Keith Berry pulled him out of his two-fight skid, and a win over Smith would put him firmly on the right track. In Roger Gracie, Rhadi Ferguson, and Renato Sobral, Strikeforce has three grapplers whose place in the organization isn't entirely clear. Gracie tasted defeat for the first time last September courtesy of a rather nasty KO from King Mo, and there are rumblings that Lawal may have more than temporarily knocked the fight out of the jiu-jitsu ace. Rhadi Ferguson maintained his flawless, if slight, record with his submission of the unheralded John Richard early this year. Little mention of Ferguson has been made since, though, and as an undersized, 38-year-old light-heavyweight, it's hard to imagine any lengthy future for him in MMA. Sobral, meanwhile, hasn't fought since his KO loss to Dan Henderson just over a year ago. He's been more or less blacklisted from the UFC, which might make him similarly scarce from the Zuffa-owned Strikeforce. And so... Strikeforce's top five light-heavyweights are all around a pretty strong group. What they may lack in experience they more than make up for with crowd-pleasing styles. However, in the middle of the division, where contenders are built, things are looking a little thin. Picking up unknown fighters from the regional circuit might help, but to add a little sizzle to the proceedings, Strikeforce might consider using fighters with big-show experience to thicken their ranks. Mike Ciesnolevicz, Rodney Wallace, and Eliot Marshall would all make fine, relatively affordable additions to the weight class. Emanuel Newton and Jan Blachowicz (who's spent nearly his entire career in Poland's KSW, compiling a record of 14-3-0) would also be worth a look.

Posted in: strikeforce, division, mousasi, lawal, lightheavyweight

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"King Mo" Muhammed Lawal was a guest on the MMA Insiders radio show and gave his breakdown of how Brock Lesnar can find success against Alistair Overeem in their UFC 141 showdown. Given Lawal's high level wrestling background, his insight into how Lesnar can get takedowns on the dangerous striker carries some weight. Via Yahoo! Sports: "If I were Brock, I would establish a good jab, fake ... jab, fake ... fake, jab. Look to shoot off the fakes. You know in wrestling. if the person doesn't respond to your fakes then you shoot next time. If the person responds to your fakes then you throw punches," said Lawal. ... "It's going to be very important for Brock to set up his takedowns because without the setups, he's getting knocked out or hurt," Lawal said. "Overeem is the wrong person to shoot on out of the blue." This will likely be a fight where you can tell exactly how it will play out within the first minute and a half. If Brock can't find a way to put Overeem down early, it's probable that Overeem busts him up quickly. If Lesnar can find early success with the takedowns I don't think it is going to get harder as the fight goes on and Overeem's reflexes slow a bit. Mo is right that setting up the takedowns off the jab is the best way to avoid engaging in a true stand-up battle while not recklessly bullrushing in, but every extra second kept on the feet is another extra second of big time danger for the former UFC champ. SBN coverage of UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem

Posted in: takedown, overeem, lesnar, brock, lawal

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Filed under: Strikeforce, NewsIn September, "King" Mo Lawal said he viewed Strikeforce as something like "a dying cancer patient," saying he was just waiting for the promotion he's been fighting in since 2009 to die. But Lawal doesn't feel that way anymore. With Lawal set to fight Lorenz Larkin on the January 7 Strikeforce card -- the first card on a new agreement between Zuffa and Showtime to keep Strikeforce alive through 2012 -- Lawal now views Strikeforce as alive and well. "I was wrong to say it was a cancer patient. The cancer went into remission and Strikeforce is back," Lawal said on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour. That doesn't necessarily mean, however, that Lawal will be part of Strikeforce in the long term. Lawal has made no secret that he'd like to be involved in bigger fights (and bigger paydays) in the UFC. And although he said his request for a fight with Rampage Jackson in Japan never came close to fruition, he said he's hoping for big fights and big money next year, after his current contract expires following the fight with Larkin. "I've got one more fight on my contract and then my contract ends in February," Lawal said. "King Mo just wants to go where he can get paid and get paid without the check bouncing." Lawal said he has no problem remaining with Strikeforce, and he wasn't upset to learn that Zuffa will continue to operate the UFC and Strikeforce separately, rather than absorb Strikeforce fighters into the UFC. "I just hope they can get us good fights and get us paid well," Lawal said. "I'm not disappointed." The 12-0 Larkin, who has come up through the Strikeforce Challengers series, represents an interesting challenge for Lawal. If Larkin can pull the upset, it would certainly hurt Lawal's negotiating position as he looks to sign a new contract, but Lawal doesn't see that happening. "Get this win, which I will," Lawal said. "And then I'll see what the options are and see what happens." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, strikeforce, cancer, lawal, cancer patient

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Podcast Powered By Podbean Topics covered in this episode- King Mo Lawal and Fareed Samad's trip to Brazil for Lyoto Machida's training camp-Samad's growing MMA striking clientele -A look at the Evans vs. Jones rivalry -Lawal tells us who he believes is the biggest draw in MMA

Posted in: mma, podcast, lawal, podbean topics, fareed

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Strikeforce veterans Robbie Lawler and Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal will each be in action on the January 7 Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine lineup, as more fights were recently announced for the officially confirmed card. The event takes place on Showtime from Las Vegas, Nevada with a main event pitting middleweight champion Luke Rockhold against UFC veteran Keith Jardine in the American Kickboxing Academy product’s first title defense. Meanwhile, Lawler has been signed to face Adlan Amagov, while Lawal will tangle with Lorenz Larkin. “Ruthless” Robbie is currently in a two-fight losing skid, dropping his record to 18-8 overall. Amagov sports a 9-1-1 mark, including a victory over Anthony Smith just last month. Lawal returned from an extended break to have knee surgery to defeat Roger Gracie back in September, as the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion looks to get back his belt. Larkin is 12-0 and has won four fights this year alone. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: strikeforce, lawler, robbie, lawal, ” robbie

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Former Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal is back on a regular schedule. After an on-again, off-again stretch of activity courtesy of a knee injury, Lawal is expected to make his second appearance since returning from his layoff when he fights at "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine." Sources close to the event today confirmed the news to MMAjunkie.com and stated Lawal has yet to receive an opponent.

Posted in: strikeforce, vs, lawal, event today, activity courtesy

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Filed under: UFC, NewsDespite their penchant for professional wrestling, the animosity between Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is real, according to Lawal. "I don't like him, he don't like me!" the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Lawal stated Monday on The MMA Hour. Lawal hasn't taken too kindly to being called "Queen Mo" in various interviews by Jackson and named two specific incidents where he was left with a poor impression by the former UFC light heavyweight titleholder. Lawal recalled an early meeting when they met through Antonio McKee while attending an August 2008 fight card in Santa Monica, Calif. Lawal claims Jackson played up his personality when a camera was around and in the process tried to "punk" him. Another incident involved Jackson doing an appearance for a MMA card in Oklahoma City. At the time Lawal's friend Gerald Harris was accompanying Jackson and asked Lawal as a favor to find women for Jackson. Lawal agreed, but when the two parties met up at a club after the fights, Lawal's friendly gesture apparently went unappreciated. More Coverage: Watch UFC 137 Live Online | UFC 137 Fight Card | UFC 137 Results "[Rampage] had audacity to kick out my homeboys out of a V.I.P. spot. I wasn't having that," said Lawal. Coming off a first-round knockout over Roger Gracie at the Sept. 10 Strikeforce event, Lawal (8-1) has been training at the American Kickboxing Academy as he awaits his next fight. The December Strikeforce card is a possibility only if Lawal is offered a big name opponent. A rematch with Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante would have been a suitable opponent for Lawal, but Cavalcante is unavailable due to injury. Lawal's contract with Strikeforce comes to an end in February. The next fight that makes the most sense then would be against his rival Jackson. While Lawal admits he wants to fight Jackson on a UFC card, he also insists Jackson is the one doing the provoking. "People saying I'm calling him out, [but] anytime you take somebody's name and give them a female name, that's calling them out," Lawal said. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, jackson, card, lawal

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Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal has made it known over the past few weeks that he will be calling out his next opponent in the near future. The obvious choice for Lawal to make his target was Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, as the two have had verbal wars in the past and have made it clear they dislike each other on a personal level. Now, not only does it appear Jackson is definitely the object of the 30 year old’s in-ring desire, but he’s even willing to spend the fight striking with him if need be to facilitate the match-up Lawal’s statements came in a recent conversation with Full Contact Fighter where he also offered up a bit of trash-talk on top of the proposed challenge. Currently, Lawal is a member of Strikeforce, but that doesn’t seem to be a huge issue as UFC President Dana White has been gobbling up talent from the promotion for major bouts in his company. “Enough of the talk, let’s do the action. Let’s bang then, dawg. You’re talkin’ about you wanna box, you can box me! I won’t take you down, you know what I’m sayin’,” Lawal animatedly explained in the interview. “Or you can holla at my boy James Toney and be a sparring partner for him. Pick your poison. You can getcha ass whipped in boxing by James Toney, or you can getcha ass whipped by me in MMA. I’ll stand and box with you.” Lawal and Jackson have made quite the verbal warfare, tossing jabs at one another for over 15 years, according to “King Mo.” Jackson has said a number of times in the past he is looking for a fight at the UFC’s show in Japan this upcoming February, and Lawal has said he would be fine with taking on “Rampage” in the Land of the Rising Sun if need be. Lawal, a college wrestling standout, rebounded from his first professional loss and an extended layoff from injury to come back and defeat previously undefeated grappler Roger Gracie earlier this year via knockout. Jackson, a former 205-pound champ, was defeated by Jon Jones in a bout for the light heavyweight belt last month at UFC 135. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE/UFC

Posted in: jackson, contact fighter, lawal, getcha ass, james toney

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Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Muhammed Lawal is in an interesting position. While he wants to fight again as soon as possible after knocking previously undefeated grappler Roger Gracie out in the opening round of a September bout under the Strikeforce banner, Lawal has also been extremely critical of the way his bosses have handled business and even compared the promotion’s future to that of a terminally ill cancer patient. Compounding things, Lawal’s contract expire in a few months leaving him in limbo with Strikeforce’s December card already filling up and the possibility of the promotion folding shortly thereafter. “King Mo” discussed his status recently in a conversation with MMAFighting where he offered his thoughts on what’s next for him including his desire to eventually settle his quarrel with Quinton Jackson one-on-one in the Octagon. “Who knows,” Lawal responded when asked when or where his next match-up will take place. “We’ll see. My contract is up in February,” he added while also expressing an interest in fighting sooner than later. Lawal Wants to See Strikeforce vs. UFC Card As far as Jackson, Lawal stated he hadn’t initiated the conflict between the two but was tired of hearing his name come out of the former UFC title-holder’s mouth. “This fool ‘Rampage’ calls me out, and then people get mad when I respond? He’s a bitch in my eyes because he didn’t respond. Maybe he’ll respond later, but the word is he wants to fight (Mauricio Rua). That’s whatever. But he called me out, so I’m going to respond.” “He wasn’t even on my radar,” Lawal continued. “But now he wants to say something about me, he’s on my radar now. We’re going to bang eventually.” Lawal, only three years younger than Jackson, holds an 8-1 professional record in comparison to the PRIDE icon’s 32-9 mark. In terms of styles, both are wrestlers with above-average boxing though Lawal is the more-decorated of the two in terms of grappling while Jackson arguably packs more power in his punches. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE Tweet

Posted in: strikeforce, jackson, mauricio rua, lawal, september bout

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Fight! Fight! Fight! The always vocal and entertaining Muhammed Lawal has once again expressed his desire to settle his beef with the equally entertaining and maybe even more vocal UFC light heavyweight, Quinton Jackson. "King Mo" and "Rampage" have had beef dating back to 2009, when an infamous video was leaked in which the two were involved in a verbal confrontation in a van. It's been a hate-hate relationship ever since. And with the apparent end of Strikeforce just around the corner, Lawal may as well set up for a big money match-up inside the Octagon, right? Here's what the outspoken Tennessean told MMAFighting.com: "This fool Rampage calls me out, and then people get mad when I respond? He’s a b—h in my eyes, because he didn’t respond. Maybe he’ll respond later, but the word is he wants to fight Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua. That’s whatever. But he called me out, so I’m going to respond. When’s the last time you heard me mention Rampage’s name before he mentioned mine? I don’t care about him. He wasn’t even on my radar. But now, he wants to say something about me, he’s on my radar now. We’re going to bang eventually. Who knows? We’ll see. My contract is up in February. … I’d like to fight, but I have no idea." Lawal, the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, is coming off an impressive knockout victory over the previously undefeated Roger Gracie at the Strikeforce: "Barnett vs. Kharitonov" event just this past Sept. 10. Coincidentally enough, Lawal's Strikeforce contract is up in February and "Rampage" has expressed his desire to compete on the Japan card scheduled for the same month, though his sites are set on avenging a loss to Mauricio Rua. Both Jackson and Lawal have a strong fan base in "The Land of the Rising Sun" due to their time spent competing in PRIDE and Sengoku, respectively. A matchup in Japan at the highly anticipated UFC card scheduled for February 26, 2012, would make perfect sense.  What do you say, Maniacs, does "King Mo" deserve to be drafted to the UFC and finally settle his score? Or does he still have work to do in the Strikeforce ranks to prove he deserves to bang with the big boys? Discuss.

Posted in: fight, strikeforce, rampage, &rsquo, lawal

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Filed under: UFCNow that "King" Mo Lawal is just a few months away from the end of his Strikeforce contract, he's begun to eye a future in the UFC and a potential opponent to start things off against. Not surprisingly, that opponent is Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, who enjoys poking fun at the man he calls "King Ho" in interviews, recently telling our own Ariel Helwani, "I'll fight that chump." Lawal had it out with Jackson in a heated conversation captured on video two years ago, and the two have chipped away at each other several times since in interviews and over Twitter. Now Lawal says he'd like to meet Jackson at the UFC's event in Japan this February, when his Strikeforce contract is conveniently set to expire, but Jackson seems less thrilled about the prospect, according to Lawal. "This fool Rampage calls me out, and then people get mad when I respond? He's a b---h in my eyes, because he didn't respond. Maybe he'll respond later, but the word is he wants to fight [Mauricio] 'Shogun' [Rua]. That's whatever. But he called me out, so I'm going to respond," Lawal told MMA Fighting. As Lawal pointed out, Rua already has a fight scheduled with Dan Henderson for November. If Jackson really wants to fight in front of the Japanese fans when the UFC heads to Tokyo, he could do a lot worse than to take on Lawal, who also has a strong following across the Pacific. But, Lawal insisted, he wouldn't even be setting his sights on Jackson if the former UFC champ hadn't taken a shot at him in a recent interview. "When's the last time you heard me mention Rampage's name before he mentioned mine?" said Lawal. "I don't care about him. He wasn't even on my radar. But now, he wants to say something about me, he's on my radar now. We're going to bang eventually." As for whether it will happen in Japan, and whether Lawal's next fight will really be in the UFC rather than Strikeforce, he admitted he had "no idea." "Who knows? We'll see. My contract is up in February. ...I'd like to fight, but I have no idea." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, rampage, jackson, lawal

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Filed under: UFCLast time on Fighter vs. Writer, Michael Bisping picked with his heart rather than his head at UFC 135, and it cost him the victory against yours truly. With UFC 136 nearly upon us, I challenged former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion and noted agent provocateur of Twitter, "King" Mo Lawal. There are few fighters more knowledgeable about the fight game (or more confident in their own knowledge of the fight game) than Lawal, so I have my work cut out for me. As usual, we'll start at the top of the card and work our way down. Mr. Lawal, you have the honors... Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard Lawal: Maynard via decision. "I love both fighters. Frankie's a soldier, and so is Gray. Gray's Team Thirsty. But I think Gray can pull off the decision, get a few takedowns early on and then coast. But if Frankie starts fast, he could be in trouble." Fowlkes: Edgar via decision. He surprised me last time with how well he dealt with Maynard's wrestling skills, and that was after getting dropped and nearly finished. I think he sticks and moves his way to a win, and we can all finally move on our lives. Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian Lawal: Florian via decision. "This whole card is fighters I like, but man, I think Kenny's going to pull it off. The southpaw stance, the elusiveness, inside leg kicks, and takedowns. I think he pull it off that way." Fowlkes: Aldo via decision. I just don't see Florian being able to wrestle his way to a win before Aldo tenderizes his thighs with those kicks. The champ is too fast and has too many weapons at his disposal. Another weight class where Florian is better than everybody but the very best. Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann Lawal: Sonnen via decision. "I like Brian Stann, but I got to go with the wrestler on this one. Chael's my boy. ...His double-leg is tricky. No one's figured out how to stop it. They all try and guillotine him and it never works. They get taken down. I don't know how Brian Stann's going to be able to stop that." Fowlkes: Stann via decision. I agree that the takedown will be hard to stop, but if Stann can manage it I think this becomes his fight to lose. Sonnen's been off for over a year, and Stann's had a lot of time to hang out in the gym and plan on how to shut down the double-leg. Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan Lawal: Nobody. "I think this fight's going to be a disappointment. Not a disappointment, but there's going to be more game-planing, and it'll be more technical than people think. It's a toss-up. It's going to come down to who made the adjustments." Even when pressed, Lawal refused to make a pick. You know what that means. Now he can only get the win on this one if it ends in a draw or, as has actually happened before, doesn't take place at all. Fowlkes: Phan via decision. I expect Garcia to show up telling himself he's not just going to brawl, but then I expect him to get hit once and forget all about that. If Phan can avoid getting sucked into a street fight, like I think he can, he outpoints Garcia clearly enough this time that even the worst judges can't miss it. Melvin Guillard vs. Joe Lauzon Lawal: Guillard via TKO. "Stoppage. First round. I think he's much better, much more dynamic, and he's more mature now. He's a different fighter." Fowlkes: Guillard via TKO. I don't know if it'll come in the first round, but it will come. I don't see Lauzon being able to get him on the mat, at least not for very long, and Guillard is too fast and too powerful on the feet. Mo Lawal picks: Maynard, Florian, Sonnen, Nobody, Guillard Ben Fowlkes picks: Edgar, Aldo, Stann, Phan, Guillard Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: decision, vs, stann, lawal, fowlke

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