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Tastes a hard right hand
Lawal lost to Liam McGeary via TKO (punches) at 0:53 of Round 3 at Bellator 213 on Saturday in Honolulu.
ANALYSIS
Lawal wanted to land leg kicks on the outside and score takedowns in this fight. While he had some success with his leg kicks, he was never really able to get his wrestling going. On top of that, he could not deal with McGeary's outside striking. He continually landed with strikes on the outside, and Lawal could not win the exchanges. In the third round, McGeary landed a hard right hand, which spelled the end for Lawal. "King Mo" has never really been able to break through in Bellator, and he has now lost four of his last six fights.
Lawal wanted to land leg kicks on the outside and score takedowns in this fight. While he had some success with his leg kicks, he was never really able to get his wrestling going. On top of that, he could not deal with McGeary's outside striking. He continually landed with strikes on the outside, and Lawal could not win the exchanges. In the third round, McGeary landed a hard right hand, which spelled the end for Lawal. "King Mo" has never really been able to break through in Bellator, and he has now lost four of his last six fights.
Falls quick and announces drop to middleweight
Lawal lost to Ryan Bader via KO (punches) at 0:15 of Round 1 at Bellator 199 on Saturday in San Jose, Calif.
ANALYSIS
Lawal seemed like a natural fit for the Bellator heavyweight tournament. Despite competing in wrestling at 84 kg, approximately 185 pounds, "King Mo" has spent the majority of his MMA career at light heavyweight. On multiple occasions, he has even moved up to heavyweight with surprising success. However, following his 15-second knockout loss to Bader, Lawal announced on Twitter that he was dropping down to middleweight. The division is one of the shallowest divisions in Bellator, and Lawal previously defeated top contender Gegard Mousasi under the Strikeforce banner in 2010.
Lawal seemed like a natural fit for the Bellator heavyweight tournament. Despite competing in wrestling at 84 kg, approximately 185 pounds, "King Mo" has spent the majority of his MMA career at light heavyweight. On multiple occasions, he has even moved up to heavyweight with surprising success. However, following his 15-second knockout loss to Bader, Lawal announced on Twitter that he was dropping down to middleweight. The division is one of the shallowest divisions in Bellator, and Lawal previously defeated top contender Gegard Mousasi under the Strikeforce banner in 2010.
Added to Bellator heavyweight tournament
Lawal will join seven other fighters competing for the Bellator heavyweight championship at The Bellator World Grand Prix 2018 Heavyweight Tournament. He will face Ryan Bader in May in San Jose, Calif.
ANALYSIS
"King Mo" (21-6) has won nine of his last 11 bouts and will return to the heavyweight division for this tournament. He holds a Strikeforce title as well as wins over the likes of Gegard Mousasi and Linton Vassell. Lawal has also split a two-fight series with "Rampage" Jackson; this tournament holds the possibility of a tie-breaker bout for the two. Other fighters competing for gold include Jackson, Roy Nelson, Chael Sonnen, Frank Mir, Fedor Emelianenko, Matt Mitrione and Ryan Bader.
"King Mo" (21-6) has won nine of his last 11 bouts and will return to the heavyweight division for this tournament. He holds a Strikeforce title as well as wins over the likes of Gegard Mousasi and Linton Vassell. Lawal has also split a two-fight series with "Rampage" Jackson; this tournament holds the possibility of a tie-breaker bout for the two. Other fighters competing for gold include Jackson, Roy Nelson, Chael Sonnen, Frank Mir, Fedor Emelianenko, Matt Mitrione and Ryan Bader.
Withdraws from Bellator 185
Lawal (undisclosed) can no longer compete in the co-main event of Bellator 185 on Oct. 20, Alexander K. Lee of MMAFighting.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Lawal was slated to take on Liam McGeary in a light heavyweight bout, but was forced to withdraw due to an undisclosed injury. A replacement for "King Mo" hasn't been found as of Tuesday, but Bellator is looking to keep McGeary on the card. A timetable for Lawal's return is unknown.
Lawal was slated to take on Liam McGeary in a light heavyweight bout, but was forced to withdraw due to an undisclosed injury. A replacement for "King Mo" hasn't been found as of Tuesday, but Bellator is looking to keep McGeary on the card. A timetable for Lawal's return is unknown.
Grinds out victory over 'Rampage' at Bellator 175
Lawal defeated Quinton Jackson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) at Bellator 175 on Friday in Chicago.
ANALYSIS
On paper Lawal had a wrestling advantage, and this turned out to be the case. However, it was not as large as you might think. Jackson made it very tough for Lawal along the cage. Plus, whenever Lawal was able to drag him down, Jackson would quickly get back to his feet. With that being said, "King Mo" mixed his wrestling and striking well in order to win rounds one and three. In the second round, "Rampage" scored some hard shots, but Lawal survived and continued. This is one of the biggest wins of Lawal's career and corrected a previous loss via dubious decision.
On paper Lawal had a wrestling advantage, and this turned out to be the case. However, it was not as large as you might think. Jackson made it very tough for Lawal along the cage. Plus, whenever Lawal was able to drag him down, Jackson would quickly get back to his feet. With that being said, "King Mo" mixed his wrestling and striking well in order to win rounds one and three. In the second round, "Rampage" scored some hard shots, but Lawal survived and continued. This is one of the biggest wins of Lawal's career and corrected a previous loss via dubious decision.