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Sun Jan 04, 2009 3:57 am EST

Another positive step as King Mo goes from wrestling to MMA

By Steve Cofield

An elite amateur wrestler goes to Team Quest and turns into a top level mixed martial artist. Forgive us if you've heard the story before involving guys like Randy Couture, Dan Henderson and Matt Lindland. They head the list of wrestlers that Team Quest has turned into fighting machines. Now it's only the beginning stages but it looks like  former Olympic wrestling hopeful Muhammed Lawal has the goods to be the next guy.

He scored an easy win over Yukiya Naito this morning at Sengoku 7. Naito ran for much of the fight, although he did take a few seconds to engage King Mo in some in-fight dancing. Lawal eventually caught Naito with a big right to the chin that floored the Japanese fighter. Naito retreated to the opposite corner where he was floored again by a left uppercut. Once on the ground, Lawal finished Naito with four big lefts at 3:54 of the first. Naito came in riding a six-fight win streak.

Lawal was a collegiate wrestler at Oklahoma State and Central Oklahoma. He was the Division II champ in 2002. He also won the 2006 U.S. Open and 2007 Pan-Am Games. He finished second to Andy Hrovat at the 2008 Olympic trials at 185 lbs. Lawal fought this one at 204 lbs.  

Lawal is now 3-0 since starting his MMA career in September. He won his debut against MMA vet Travis Wiuff. That was a nice win fighting at 220 lbs. against the 246-pound Wiuff.

One piece of advice, Lawal can drop the WWE Godfather/pimp entrance. I don't mind the crown but surrounding himself with six "ho's" only plays to awful stereotypes that exist about African-Americans in Japan.

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6 Comments

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  1. Treydubb
    1. Posted by Treydubb Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:43 pm EDT

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    true it does. i hate that japanese culture does that and these black fighters go over there and let themselves get portrayed in such a way. i mean they must pay good money (they dont) to let yourself get played like that. Rampage used to be called a homeless guy. I mean money is money but eventually its like stand up for something.
  2. Hitman
    2. Posted by Hitman Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:03 pm EDT

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    i think the ufc has got the best entrances and portrayals. Japan is terrible i mean bob sapp fighting a masked pro wrestler. and elite xc having kimbo slice with a 45 second introduction and james thomson gets a ten second one. I even thought dave kaplain was a little too much. Fighters can have personality but they should not portray the sport badly because it is so young and companies can not favor a single fighter.
  3. Nutcracker
    3. Posted by Nutcracker Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:22 pm EDT

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    Jap chicks love the big black dudes and their large shwances... thus a plodder like sapp making a living there. he is the slowest, stiffest fighter i have ever seen. lawal is just another rassler that will get put to sleep by any mma fighter with a semblance of stand up ability.. evans or page step up and put this one dimensional sideshow freak to sleep.. training in coutures camp means nothing to me.. since when was couture a 'complete' fighter?? he sparred with a guy i know who is a super mw boxer and he lumped couture up after just one round.. can any mma dink spell endswell???
  4. Nutcracker
    4. Posted by Nutcracker Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:22 pm EDT

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    Come on cofield. you know this guy wouldn't last a day in a sparring camp with dawson or the like.. dont you get tired of pimping rasslers that throw punches like your gf throws a football??? well rounded is an oxymoron in this sport.....
  5. GARY W
    5. Posted by GARY W Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:12 pm EDT

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    Calling all boxers-Please step in the ring under MMA rules. Wait Ray Mercer tried it with Kimbo and got the old choke hold on him and tapped. Kimbo is not even that well trained. So step up boxers, WE dare you- double dog dare you nutcracker
  6. Dubya b
    6. Posted by Dubya b Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:12 pm EDT

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    SPARTAN. You are saying the Boxing and MMA (you used "fighting") is like comparing full contact football to flag football? If so, then either you suck at comparison or you don't know football.
    Boxing IS fighting, and I can guarantee that any decent non-professional boxer can walk into any bar and whip ass, regardless if it goes to the ground or not.
    In fact, I would guess any decent practitioner of any combat sport (Wrestling, BJJ, Muay Thai) should be able to take on any non-skilled attacker in any bar
    When it comes to hands, no practitioner of any art can match a boxers. Not Muay Thai, Kickboxers, Karate etc.
    That is why you see Rashad, Anderson and Quinton all working under Boxing trainers to develop pure boxing skills, and that is why they are winning the hands up areas.
    I had always wondered why MMA guys would go to a Muay Thai clinic to learn to box, when you only need to go there to learn Muay Thai techniques (clinches, throws, kicks, knees and elbows).
    I don't anticipate getting into a street or bar fight with a professional anything, so I don't see any need to learn anything outside of Jiu Jitsu and boxing, except Judo.

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