‘King Mo’ still a student of the game
In an attempt to show dimensions beyond his superior amateur wrestling pedigree, Muhammed Lawal put his developing striking skills on display in his latest performance -- a first-round technical knockout victory over Yukiya Naito at “No Ran 2009.”
Afterwards, “King Mo” hinted he may next flex his submission game, which has been honed through work with Dean Lister and Jason “Mayhem” Miller, among others.
“That’s what I’m working toward,” he said. “Who knows? I’ve still got a lot to learn, but I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve, and, hopefully, I’ll be in a position to pull them off in the next fight.”
Trainer Ryan Parsons called Lawal (3-0) “a coach’s dream,” explaining that “the best thing about ‘Mo’ is that he has the ability -- at only three months and one week into his career -- to execute vastly different gameplans depending on the opponent. [In] his three fights, he followed his gameplans perfectly, and each fight was very different. The people watching his fights are going to have a hard time [gameplanning for him] because he has so many options.”
Lawal has garnered attention with his brash in-ring persona but thinks some people miss the point.
“See, that’s really me, though. I’m a king -- mind, body, and soul,” he said. “I feel everybody should be treated like a king, because everyone deserves that kind of respect. I don’t call myself ‘King Mo’ because I feel like I’m better than everyone else. I do it because I treat myself with respect, like how I try to treat everyone else. It runs deeper.”
Lawal was quick to remind people that he remains green in the MMA world.
“People seem to forget that [this is my third fight],” he said. “They think I’m a veteran now. [Sunday] night’s fight was sloppy. I got lots to learn.”
In an attempt to show dimensions beyond his superior amateur wrestling pedigree, Muhammed Lawal put his developing striking skills on display in his latest performance -- a first-round technical knockout victory over Yukiya Naito at “No Ran 2009.”
Afterwards, “King Mo” hinted he may next flex his submission game, which has been honed through work with Dean Lister and Jason “Mayhem” Miller, among others.
“That’s what I’m working toward,” he said. “Who knows? I’ve still got a lot to learn, but I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve, and, hopefully, I’ll be in a position to pull them off in the next fight.”
Trainer Ryan Parsons called Lawal (3-0) “a coach’s dream,” explaining that “the best thing about ‘Mo’ is that he has the ability -- at only three months and one week into his career -- to execute vastly different gameplans depending on the opponent. [In] his three fights, he followed his gameplans perfectly, and each fight was very different. The people watching his fights are going to have a hard time [gameplanning for him] because he has so many options.”
Lawal has garnered attention with his brash in-ring persona but thinks some people miss the point.
“See, that’s really me, though. I’m a king -- mind, body, and soul,” he said. “I feel everybody should be treated like a king, because everyone deserves that kind of respect. I don’t call myself ‘King Mo’ because I feel like I’m better than everyone else. I do it because I treat myself with respect, like how I try to treat everyone else. It runs deeper.”
Lawal was quick to remind people that he remains green in the MMA world.
“People seem to forget that [this is my third fight],” he said. “They think I’m a veteran now. [Sunday] night’s fight was sloppy. I got lots to learn.”