Bellator's Muhammed Lawal says belt or no belt, Ryan Bader has been on his radar

Muhammed Lawal would certainly like to get his hands on Ryan Bader’s Bellator light heavyweight title, so it would be easy to understand if “King Mo” was frustrated about the pair’s first meeting taking place in a heavyweight clash.

He insists he isn’t.

“It’s all about competition to me,” Lawal told MMAjunkie. “I like getting paid, but I love to compete. I’ve been competing my whole life. Fighting, I think it’s the best job in the world. I wake up, I love going to the gym. I love training. I’m doing what I want to do, and I love it. I love fighting.”

Lawal (21-6 MMA, 10-5 BMMA) and Bader (24-5 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) clash in the headlining bout of Bellator 199 on May 12 in San Jose, Calif. As with all Bellator events, the night’s main card airs on Paramount.

The fight represents the final opening-round matchup of Bellator’s ambitious heavyweight world grand prix, with the winner advancing to face Matt Mitrione later this year.

Bader is currently Bellator’s light heavyweight champion, the same division in which Lawal has been a perennial contender. “King Mo” would certainly appreciate a crack at Bader’s belt, but that will have to wait for now.

Lawal insists that’s just fine, saying he’s got a history with Bader that dates back to their amateur wrestling days, and that an MMA fight between them was always inevitable, regardless of weight class.

“I competed against him before, a long time ago,” Lawal said. “I beat him in a wrestling match, but that was a long time ago.

“But I feel like this: If you weigh 205 or heavyweight, it’s on my radar because I fight in both weightclasses. Pretty much plain and simple – the moment he stepped in the cage and weighed in and fought at 205, he was on my radar.”

Lawal has long considered himself a moneyweight, willing to change divisions to chase the biggest fights possible. But he’s probably most effective at 205 pounds.

Should he down Bader in a heavyweight fight, the result could perhaps earn him a light heavyweight rematch with the champ down the line. But Lawal said he’s not looking past the task at hand. He’s happy with the booking, regardless of division, and he’s expecting a victory.

“That’s it,” Lawal said. “I just want to go out there, fight, fight hard, get that paycheck, man – and win.”

To hear more from Lawal, check out the video above.

And for more on Bellator 199, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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