PRO MMA (promma.info) first spoke with King Mo back in November ’08, the day after he defeated Fabio Silva at Sengoku’s Sixth Battle. Mo had only one professional MMA bout under his belt when he fought Silva, on the other hand, Silva had been fighting professionally since 2003 with fifteen fights and eleven wins to his credit. Mo dismantled the veteran via TKO just seconds into round three.
Probably even more impressive was Mo’s first professional fight which was taken on short notice. Mo got the call to go to Japan to fight Travis Wiuff at Sengoku’s Fifth Battle in September 2008.
Think about this for a moment. It is your first professional fight and you are asked to fight a veteran with a record of 54-11 and he is on a nine fight winning streak. For most people that probably does not sound too appealing. However, if you know anything, you know King Mo is not most people and two minutes and eleven seconds is all it took for Mo to put an end to Wiuff’s win-streak.
Mo’s third fight took place in January of this year at Sengoku’s No Ran 2009 against Yukiya Naito. Naito was 15-4-2 and on a six fight win streak when he faced Mo. With 7 wins by (T)KO and 7 by submission, Naito is a very well-rounded fighter and Mo made him look amateurish. Once again Mo won by (T)KO from punches in round one.
On March 20th, King Mo once again returns to Japan, this time for Sengoku’s Seventh Battle. In the main event it will be Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal vs. the King of Pancrase current Light Heavyweight Champion, Ryo Kawamura. Kawamura at 9-3-2 is a striker with five wins by (T)KO and four wins by unanimous decision.
Kawamura won his last fight which was in October ’08 against Keiichiro Yamamiya at Pancrase – Shining 8. Prior to that he lost to Kevin Randleman in May of ’08 at Sengoku’s Second Battle and he defeated Antonio Braga Neto at Sengoku’s First Battle in March ’08.
King Mo and Kawamura have a common opponent in Fabio Silva. Kawamura was knocked out by Silva at Pancrase – Rising 5 in May 2007 and as stated previously, Mo defeated him last November, the same way he has defeated all his opponents, with punches.
On paper, King Mo, is expected to defeat Ryo Kawamura on March 20th. Yes Kawamura is the King of Pancrase, but Muhammed Lawal is “King of Mo”, mo’ wrestling credentials, mo’ better training partners (Mayhem, Barnett, Sobral, Guymon, the list goes on), mo’ athleticism, mo’ speed, mo’ power, mo’ women!
Mo comes from that rare breed where he is already headlining a major event on his fourth fight. It is no coincidence he was a collegiate wrestling superstar, an NCAA Division II Champion, a Division I all-American who was right at the Olympic level and at one time ranked number one in the world.
Take a wrestler of that caliber and let him focus the same athleticism and the same drive on striking and on submissions and submission defense and that is when you get these rare breeds; the Muhammed Lawals, the Brock Lesnars. On Brock Lesnar’s fourth professional MMA fight he became the UFC Heavyweight Champion. March 20th will be King Mo’s fourth fight.
This is Mo’s last fight on his contract. Can anyone say “UFC Light Heavyweight division?” If he wins at Sengoku’s Seventh Battle, one thing is for sure, King Mo will be getting mo’ money wherever he goes.
(If you have not yet seen the video entitled “The Year of the Mo, part 1” yet, you do not want to miss seeing some of Mo’s exclusive training techniques.)
By: Jack Bratcher