In a sport where the idealism of first often comes before the business of entertainment, it’s sometimes refreshing to hear the cold realism spouted by Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, a man who is not the creator of the “money weight” term but certainly helped popularize it.
In his 24 pro bouts, he’s competed 16 times as a light heavyweight and eight times as heavyweight, with little interest for the shiny gold belt that is often the obsession of his brethren.
Ask most 30-something fighters if they have any particular goals to chase before retiring, and they’ll go straight for the belt. But Lawal?
“Nope,” he told Bleacher Report. “Just keep cashing checks. That’s it.”
By that metric, life has been pretty good for Lawal since signing with Bellator in 2012. Since his debut in January 2013, Lawal has been one of the most active fighters in major MMA, competing five times in 2013, four times in 2014 and five times in 2015.
So far, though, 2016 has drawn a blank, but he’s finally getting his first start this Saturday when he takes on Phil Davis in the main event of Bellator 154.
While the bout was designed to determine the No. 1 contender to current light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary, Lawal has a backup plan in the works. It’s just an off-the-cuff idea, but it goes something like this:
- Beat Phil Davis
- Move up to heavyweight and take the belt
- Face McGeary
“I like Liam, he’s cool, but let him fight somebody else,” he said. “I think he’s injured and still healing. Let him fight somebody else and then we can have a big-money fight. I can win the heavyweight title, then we can have a money fight. Heavyweight champ vs. light heavyweight champ at a catch weight of like 215 [pounds].”
In this scenario, the utility of the belt is more important than its perceived value; it’s simply the drawing card to a big-money fight.
While that may veer from the romantic notion of a golden belt, it’s more in line with its actual use as a promotional prop, and generally speaking, a fighter who understands the business side of the sport has a better chance to maximize his value.
Still, Lawal’s got some work to do before he gets there.
Davis was a top-10 world-ranked light heavyweight before signing with Bellator via free agency, and according to FightMatrix, which uses a proprietary algorithm to rank fighters across organizations, he’s held steady, currently ranked No. 6 in the division. (Comparatively, Lawal sits a few spots behind at No. 10.)
Last time out, Davis scored the first official KO of his career, knocking out Francis Carmont following a left hook. Color Lawal unimpressed.
“When he’s throwing punches, he’s backing up. He threw that Hail Mary versus Carmont,” he said. “It’s a big left hook, but he was arm-punching and shifted into it. [Boxing legend] Jack Dempsey had this thing called the 'shift' where he’d step and throw a right hand, and then step with the left and throw a left hand. You’re shifting stances. He did that into a left and knocked out Carmont, but that’s the only time I’ve ever really seen him commit with a big shot. The only time.”
Not surprisingly, fighters about to fight disagree on their assessments of each other. Neither was dismissive of the other’s skills, but each offered his own interpretation.
“He's a slugger and a wrestler so he brings a very unique skill set to the table because very few guys who have his kind of punching power have his level of wrestling,” Davis told Bleacher Report. “So that's what makes him unique, but I think I have a more rounded game.”
That moderate boast could hardly be called inflammatory, but Lawal took exception to its premise as much as its accuracy. By his own estimation, he believes he is better able to make his own game work within the context of the fight.
“Phil can think that. He might be more well-rounded, but who cares?” he said. “I don’t see it. I see average stand-up, average wrestler, a little above-average grappling.
“Anyway, it’s not about how well-rounded your game is, it’s about how you can make the s--t work for you,” he continued. “Look at Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald. Who’s more well-rounded? Rory’s a better wrestler. Rory has better grappling, Rory has good stand-up. So who’s more well-rounded? Probably Rory. But who won the f--king fight? Robbie. So you can say you’re more well-rounded. That’s great. We’ll see how much that matters when the cage closes.”
The dynamics of the fight do favor Lawal in one significant way: His wrestling pedigree—he was a collegiate All-American and a world-ranked amateur wrestler—makes it likely he can force Davis to stand with him, and he's vowed to do just that.
The collision course between the two is a long time in the making. From the time Davis signed, it seemed obvious it would happen, and then last September, both were involved in a four-man, one-night tournament. Both won their opening-round matches, but Lawal could not continue due to a rib injury.
In a way, the delay could prove a blessing, as it gave the matchup more time to simmer. Conversely, it also ramps up expectations.
A win over Davis will lead to plenty of possibilities. Lawal can fight McGeary. He can fight heavyweight champ Vitaly Minakov. He can fight Tito Ortiz, with whom he recently had a confrontation (warning: link contains NSFW language).
“Man, the guy’s won three fights in 10 years,” he said. “You think this matchup helps him or helps me? That lowers my brand. It helps his brand. What’s beating him going to do for me? Three wins in 10 years? That’s like one win every three years. Come on, man.”
OK, cross that one off the list. Unless the money talks the right way, perhaps.
At 35, Lawal doesn’t see a finish line in his future yet, but he knows it’s not too far off in the distance. When it gets boring, he’ll stop. Until then, he’ll keep cashing checks.
