Former NCAA Champ Muhammad Lawal joins Team Quest

Former NCAA Division II amateur wrestling champion Muhammad Lawal will pursue a full-time career in mixed martial arts and has decided to officially join Team Quest in Temecula, California.

The news was revealed earlier this morning via the official MySpace account of Dan Henderson.

According to the bulletin, Lawal will also be represented by Henderson’s Quest Sports Management, Inc. The 27-year old has been training with Team Quest for the past six months after relocating from the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Lawal is expected to compete in MMA as a middleweight and will likely be a sought-after prospect based on his amateur wrestling credentials. However, his MMA debut will have to wait as Lawal intends to represent the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Bejing in freestyle wrestling as a 84 kg. competitor.

Lawal was a first place finisher at the Pan American Games in 2007 and will be a strong contender to medal in Bejing. A gold medal victory could lead to mainstream attention for Lawal and garner him a lucrative offer from a major MMA promotion.