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Double tap: Lawal signs on to fight for Bellator, wrestle for TNA
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
Plano East alum Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal isn't quite trading in his four-ounce mixed martial arts gloves for a steel chair.
Instead, the former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion is looking to use the two in unison after signing to compete for Bellator Fighting Championships and TNA IMPACT Wrestling.
"This is a dream come true for me," Lawal said. "I don't know, I mean, I'm pretty much speechless. Had a hard time sleeping and now I came to the realization that I get to knock people out in the cage and hit people with chairs in the ring.
The signings will split Lawal's duties between the cage and the squared circle, continuing an already been a fruitful career in one venue while pursuing a childhood dream in another.
In the latter's case, it appeared a natural fit for the former Panther, who grew up a professional wrestling fan idolizing the likes of Sting and Hulk Hogan. In fact, one of Lawal's fondest memories as a wrestling fan was at age seven, praying for Sting to best Ric Flair in their 1988 Clash of the Champions headliner which went to a 45-minute draw.
This won't be Lawal's first stint in a pro wrestling ring, having gained experience in a brisk tryout with World Wrestling Entertainment and a week-long run through developmental promotion Ohio Valley Wrestling.
"Really I'm not that experienced just yet," Lawal said. "I've studied it, watched it, had a WWE tryout when I went to [OVW]. I was there for a week and got a chance to work with Tom Pritchard. I learned a lot from there and actually still remember a lot."
During his time in OVW, Lawal worked with former WWE wrestler John Morrison and former Olympian Mark Henry, learning the tools of the sports entertainment trade.
Lawal plans to return to OVW in preparation for this TNA debut, which is slated for this summer. TNA, the country's No. 2 wrestling promotion, airs its flagship show (IMPACT Wrestling) at 7 p.m. each Thursday on Spike TV.
The pro wrestling influences on Lawal's fighting career are evident, most notably the fighter's lavish cage-walks with a crown and robe while surrounded by dancing women.
It's that kind of charisma and character that helped raise Lawal's profile, with his performances in the cage also carrying some weight. During his three-and-a-half-year MMA career, Lawal has amassed an 8-1-1 record, most prominently under the Strikeforce banner where he captured the promotion's Light Heavyweight Title in 2010. Strikeforce has since severed ties with Lawal in what has been a tumultuous few months for the 31-year-old. Following a second-round TKO victory over Lorenz Larkin on Jan. 7, it was revealed that Lawal failed a post-fight drug test for the steroid Drostanolone.
Lawal, who maintains his innocence, was issued a nine-month suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Following the suspension, a vulgar Twitter post from Lawal directed at one of the commission member's line of questioning, which he has since apologized for, led to the fighter's release from Strikeforce in late March.
In Bellator, Lawal has found a new outlet for his MMA career, although that won't commence until 2013. Bellator will also be part of the Spike umbrella by that time, moving from MTV2 to Spike in January.
The network plans to make Lawal one of the focal points of its combat sports sect.
"[Lawal] will be on Spike all the time," said Kevin Kay, Spike TV president. "That is literally 40, 45, 50 weeks a year Mo is on Spike. He's on IMPACT when he's not on Bellator, he's on Bellator when he's not on IMPACT and we have a lot of other plans to promote him and promote his brand."
That added exposure helped sway Lawal, who spent the majority of his Strikeforce career competing on Showtime. In Bellator, Lawal will adhere to the promotion's tournament-based structure and enter its light-heavyweight tourney next year with prospects of earning a title shot against current champion Christian M'Pumbu.
"They've got talent there," Lawal said. "Anybody can be beat. Christian has good jiu-jitsu, he has good standup and he's shown he has skill; he's been around for a while.
"But I'm going there 100 percent focused and I'm going to win the tournament."
In regards to Strikeforce and the Zuffa umbrella, which includes the UFC, any thought of waiting for a second chance weren't in the cards.
"The door's closed," he said. "I'm not going to wait for nobody. If someone comes to me with something that makes sense and it's good and a great deal, I'm going to take the best deal. Bellator and IMPACT Wrestling -- that's the best deal you could possibly get and I'm glad I chose it."
But Lawal still needs to assure his body will be up for the grind as he recovers from a knee injury and staph infection.
"Well, the tubes are out because the infection is gone," Lawal said. "I'm walking around and I'm doing rehab. Before, I couldn't even do rehab because the infection was still around. So I'm moving forward and I'm getting healthy."
Once that hurdle is cleared, Lawal will return to the cage and debut in the ring as one of the faces of Spike TV.
"[Lawal is] the first guy that's going to look to conquer both of these realms in the sports entertainment arena simultaneously," said Bjorn Rebney, Bellator CEO and chairman. "It's a first of its kind opportunity."
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