"King Mo" knows all about being thrown into the deep end.
In the eight years since Muhammed Lawal made the jump from freestyle wrestling standout to MMA star, he's had to learn as he goes along. Today, Lawal is one of Bellator's marquee attractions and a firsthand witness as the promotion brings in a new crop of American grapplers, hoping it can discover the next big thing.
On Friday, Lawal heads into a main-event bout opposite Japanese judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii at Bellator 169 in Dublin, Ireland. The 35-year-old Lawal recently spoke to theScore about his early experiences and how Bellator's search for talent in the collegiate and international wrestling ranks could pay off.
"I like what Bellator is doing," said Lawal. "I got thrown in, trained for six weeks, and I fought (then 66-fight veteran) Travis Wiuff as my first fight. They're actually letting these guys train, building them up, paying them good. I like it.
"The guys aren't just college wrestlers, they're United States freestyle and Greco wrestling stars. They're national team, they're top three minimum for our country. They have national and international experience so these guys are solid."
2016 was a growth year for Bellator as it trotted out proven draws like Quinton Jackson and Kimbo Slice while still making room for their homegrown prospects. NCAA wrestling luminaries Joey Davis, Tyrell Fortune, Ed Ruth, and Jarod Trice all had successful debuts this year, and 20-year-old wunderkind Aaron Pico is waiting in the wings.
All the talent in the world won't do them much good if they can't keep their heads on straight. Lawal doesn't see himself as the mentor type, but he's happy to warn prospects away from some of the more sinister aspects of the sport, particularly promoters who might not have their best interests in mind.
While Lawal has an excellent relationship with current Bellator president Scott Coker, whom he describes as being all about "honor and respect," he's less complimentary when it comes to former boss Bjorn Rebney. Rebney recently returned to the MMA scene as an advisor for the Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association and Lawal was immediately suspicious of his intentions:
"I really can't give much advice on competition because these kids are already competitors," said Lawal. "All I can give them is advice on business moves and who to deal with because in this game there are a lot of people that I call 'finesses.' A finesse is a guy that will lie to you and cheat and steal from you. They'll deceive you. I call those finesses. I just want to make sure they don't get around finesses.
"Right now they're making the right moves. The people they've worked with they've clicked with. They have to understand the business part of the game. I can give them little bits and pieces, because I learned the hard way about the business and I can just pass down my experience with them and hope they don't make the same mistakes."
