Muhammed Lawal

Last updated

Muhammed Lawal
Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal picture for Wikipedia.jpg
Muhammed Lawal in Los Angeles, on April 15, 2012
Born (1981-01-11) January 11, 1981 (age 43)
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, U.S.
Other namesKing Mo
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Division Light heavyweight (2009–2016)
Heavyweight (2008–2009; 2015–2019)
Reach79 in (201 cm)
Fighting out of Coconut Creek, Florida, United States
Team American Top Team
Mayweather Boxing
RankNCAA Division I Wrestling
Years active2008–2019
Mixed martial arts record
Total32
Wins21
By knockout13
By decision8
Losses10
By knockout7
By decision3
No contests1
Other information
University Oklahoma State University
University of Central Oklahoma
Notable school(s) Plano East Senior High School
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Last updated on: April 18, 2011
Muhammed Lawal
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing Flag of the United States.svg  United States
World Cup
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2007 Krasnoyarsk96 kg
Pan American Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2007 San Salvador96 kg
US National Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2005 Las Vegas84 kg
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2006 Las Vegas84 kg
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2008 Las Vegas84 kg
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2007 Las Vegas96 kg
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg2004 Las Vegas84 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the Oklahoma State Cowboys
NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg2003 Kansas City197 lb
Big 12 Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2003 Columbia197 lb
NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships
Representing the Central Oklahoma Bronchos
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2002 Edmond197 lb
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2001 Fargo 184 lb

Muhammed Lawal [1] (born January 11, 1981), also known as "King Mo", is an American professional wrestler and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to Major League Wrestling. [2] As a mixed martial artist, he is a former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion and Rizin Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion.

Contents

Early life

Lawal was raised along with his siblings by a single mother. Growing up Lawal was a fan of professional wrestling and began competing in wrestling at Plano East Senior High School in Plano, Texas. As a junior Lawal won a state title in the Greco-Roman category and also finished as a state runner-up. During his senior season Lawal went undefeated and became a state champion after defeating 171 pound favorite Barrett Lidji. [3] Lawal also competed in football, earning All-District honors as a linebacker during his junior season and as a wide receiver in his senior season. Lawal also lettered in track and field. [4]

Lawal went on to compete in NCAA Division II wrestling at the University of Central Oklahoma. He finished in 2nd place in the nation in 2001 and was a national champion in 2002. For his senior year Lawal moved on to Division I at Oklahoma State University. Lawal became a Big 12 Conference Champion and Division I All-American in 2003 for Oklahoma State, where he finished in third place for the 197 pound division. Lawal was also the university freestyle national champion at 185 pounds that year. After college Lawal continued his wrestling career at the senior level. He also competed in the newly formed Real Pro Wrestling league and became the champion of the 184 pound weight class in 2004.

He won the Senior U.S. national championship in freestyle wrestling three times - in 2005, 2006 and 2008. He also represented the U.S. at the 2005 World Wrestling Championships, where he finished in 7th place. He controversially lost his match to Sazhid Sazhidov of Russia when he was penalized a point for passivity with 1 second remaining in a match he was winning, giving Sazhidov the win. Revaz Mindorashvili would be the gold medalist at these games, a wrestler Lawal has defeated.

For over three years, Lawal was the number one ranked wrestler in the United States in the 84 kilogram division. [5] After narrowly missing entrance to the 2008 Olympics in a loss to Andy Hrovat, for which he was favored a spot, Lawal decided to enter the world of mixed martial arts. [6] [7]

Mixed martial arts career

World Victory Road

In his 2008 mixed martial arts debut at Sengoku 5, Lawal fought Travis Wiuff, a veteran of 66 fights at the time, knocking him out in the first round.

At Sengoku 6, Lawal fought Fábio Silva on November 1, 2008, defeating him in the third round via strikes. [8]

On January 4, 2009 Lawal faced Yukiya Naito at World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku no Ran 2009, defeating him in the first round with punches. [9]

On March 20, 2009 at Sengoku 7, Lawal defeated Ryo Kawamura by unanimous decision. His first time going the distance, Lawal attributed his performance to a knee injury sustained about a week before the fight, "I kinda tweaked it rolling around [with Dean Lister], and I tried to rehab it as much as I could before the fight." [10]

M-1 Global

On August 28, 2009 Lawal fought for the first time on U.S. soil against Mark Kerr at M-1 Global Presents Breakthrough. Lawal defeated Kerr by technical knockout 25 seconds into the fight. [11]

Strikeforce

On October 13, 2009, it was announced that Lawal had signed a multi-fight contract with U.S. based promotion Strikeforce. The contract allowed him to continue fighting in the Japanese circuit where he has gained his notoriety.

On December 19 at Strikeforce: Evolution Lawal fought Mike Whitehead, defeating him three minutes and eight seconds into round one via KO (punches). Lawal came in showing relaxed hands and strong counter punching and caught Whitehead with a strong right which dropped him. Lawal followed up with three punches causing the referee to stop the fight.

On April 17, 2010, Lawal defeated Gegard Mousasi by unanimous decision to win the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship.

Lawal lost the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship in Houston Texas, on August 21, against Rafael Cavalcante by TKO due to punches and elbows of 1:14 of round 3.

Lawal was out of action until mid-2011 after undergoing surgery to repair a knee injury. [12]

Lawal was scheduled to fight Roger Gracie at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson on July 30, 2011. Gracie, however, withdrew from the bout in late June due to an injury. [13] The fight was rescheduled for Strikeforce World Grand Prix: Barnett vs. Kharitonov on Sept. 10, 2011, and Lawal won via KO in the first round.

Lawal garnered his second straight victory, defeating previously unbeaten Lorenz Larkin at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine via second-round KO. However, Lawal tested positive for anabolic steroids (Drostanolone) and as a result of the banned substance, the fight's result has been changed to a no contest while Lawal will have his license suspended for one year. [14] After meeting with the Nevada State Athletic Commission on March 27, 2012 his suspension was reduced to nine months. [15]

Lawal was released from Strikeforce following comments he made on Twitter regarding Pat Lundvall after his hearing for his drug test. Lawal said, "She asked if I did research for my training. I didn't get what she meant by the question, and she rolled her eyes and asked, 'Do you speak English? Can you read?' I felt I was disrespected by the woman's comments. How are you going to ask a college educated, well traveled man if he can speak or read English? I'm speaking English right in front of you and I've been speaking English right in front of you for the past 15 minutes." [16] [17] After the release, Lawal issued an apology to Lundvall, stating, "I was out of line for calling the woman the b-word and I was wrong for that. I was kind of mad about the comments, I was offended by the comments made towards me and I was out of line. I was too emotional. I apologize for that. With that being said, I still feel that I was offended, but I'm in the wrong for what I said." [18]

Bellator MMA

On May 10, 2012, it was reported that Lawal had signed a contract with the mixed martial arts promotion Bellator Fighting Championships. [19]

On January 24, 2013, Lawal made his Bellator debut as a participant in the Season 8 light heavyweight tournament. He defeated Przemyslaw Mysiala in the quarterfinal round via right hook. [20] Lawal faced Emanuel Newton in the semifinals on February 21, 2013 at Bellator 90. Despite being a considerable favorite, Lawal lost via KO due to a spinning back fist in the first round.

Lawal faced Seth Petruzelli in the opening round of a 4-man tournament at Bellator 96 on June 19, 2013, he won the fight by KO due to a punch in full guard at 1:35 of the first round.

Lawal next faced Jacob Noe at Bellator 97 in the light heavyweight tournament final. He won via TKO due to punches in round three to win the Bellator 2013 Summer Series light heavyweight tournament.

Lawal faced Emanuel Newton in a rematch for the Interim Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship on November 2, 2013 at Bellator 106. [21] Lawal lost via unanimous decision.

Lawal entered into the Bellator season ten light heavyweight tournament on February 28, 2014. He faced Mikhail Zayats in the semifinals at Bellator 110 and won the fight via unanimous decision. He faced Quinton Jackson in the tournament final for a title shot. He lost the fight via controversial unanimous decision.

Muhammed Lawal was scheduled to fight Tom DeBlass on September 5, 2014 at Bellator 123; however, Tom DeBlass suffered a knee injury and was forced off the card. Lawal was expected to fight replacement Marcus Sursa at Bellator 123; however instead faced Dustin Jacoby. [22] Lawal won the fight via TKO in the second round.

Lawal was again expected to face Tom DeBlass on November 15, 2014 at Bellator 131. [23] However, on November 1, it was announced that Deblass had suffered a cut during training and had to withdraw from the bout. [24] Lawal eventually faced Joe Vedepo. He won via TKO due to punches in the third round.

Lawal faced Cheick Kongo in a heavyweight bout on February 27, 2015 at Bellator 134. [25] He won the fight by split decision.

Lawal was next a participant in Bellator's one-night light heavyweight tournament at Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1 on September 19, 2015. [26] He faced Linton Vassell in the opening round and won by unanimous decision. However, Lawal was unable to advance to the finals due to a rib injury.

Lawal faced Phil Davis at Bellator 154 on May 14, 2016. The bout was to determine the next challenger for champion Liam McGeary. [27] He lost the fight by unanimous decision. [28]

Lawal faced Satoshi Ishii at Bellator 169 on December 16, 2016. He won the fight via unanimous decision. [29]

Lawal faced Quinton Jackson in a rematch at Bellator 175 on March 31, 2017. He won the fight via unanimous decision, thus avenging his previous loss to Jackson. [30] Post-fight, it was announced Lawal would face Ryan Bader at Bellator 180. However, Lawal pulled out of the bout in April and was replaced by Phil Davis. [31]

Lawal was expected to face Liam McGeary at Bellator 185 on October 20, 2017. [32] However, he pulled out of the bout on October 2 due to an undisclosed injury.

Lawal faced Ryan Bader in the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix for the Bellator Heavyweight championship at Bellator 199 on May 12, 2018. He lost the fight via TKO just 15 seconds into the first round.

Lawal faced former Bellator Light Heavyweight World Champion Liam McGeary at Bellator 213 on December 15, 2018. [33] He lost the fight via TKO in the third round. [34]

RIZIN Fighting Federation Tournament

On November 6, 2015, RIZIN Fighting Federation announced that Lawal would represent Bellator in 8-man tourney at New Year's Eve Rizin card in Japan. [35] [36] His first opponent was initially supposed to be BAMMA heavyweight champ Mark Godbeer, but he eventually faced Brett McDermott. Lawal won the fight via knockout in the first round. He faced Teodoras Aukstuolis in the semi-final round on December 31, 2015 and won via unanimous decision after two rounds. In the tournament finals, Lawal faced Jiří Procházka and won the fight via knockout in the first round.

On December 29, 2016, Lawal returned to Rizin FF as a participant in the Openweight Grand-Prix, replacing an injured Wanderlei Silva in a bout against Mirko Cro Cop. Lawal lost to Cro Cop via TKO in the second round.

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
32 matches21 wins10 losses
By knockout137
By decision83
No contests1
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Loss21–10 (1)Andrew KapelKO (punches) Bellator 233 November 8, 201911:22 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United StatesCatchweight (195 lbs) bout. Announced retirement after fight.
Loss21–9 (1) Jiří Procházka TKO (punches) Rizin 15 April 21, 201933:02 Yokohama, JapanFor the inaugural Rizin Light Heavyweight Championship.
Loss21–8 (1) Liam McGeary TKO (punches) Bellator 213 December 15, 201830:53 Honolulu, Hawaii, United StatesReturn to Light Heavyweight.
Loss21–7 (1) Ryan Bader TKO (punches) Bellator 199 May 12, 201810:15 San Jose, California, United StatesBellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinal.
Win21–6 (1) Quinton Jackson Decision (unanimous) Bellator 175 March 31, 201735:00 Rosemont, Illinois, United States
Loss20–6 (1) Mirko Cro Cop TKO (punches) Rizin World Grand Prix 2016: 2nd Round December 29, 201621:41 Saitama, Japan 2016 Rizin Openweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal.
Win20–5 (1) Satoshi Ishii Decision (unanimous) Bellator 169 December 16, 201635:00 Dublin, Ireland
Loss19–5 (1) Phil Davis Decision (unanimous) Bellator 154 May 14, 201635:00 San Jose, California, United StatesLight Heavyweight bout.
Win19–4 (1) Jiří Procházka KO (punch) Rizin World Grand Prix 2015: Part 2 - Iza December 31, 201515:09 Saitama, JapanWon the 2015 Rizin Heavyweight Grand Prix.
Win18–4 (1)Teodoras AukstuolisDecision (unanimous)25:00 2015 Rizin Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinal.
Win17–4 (1) Brett McDermott KO (punches) Rizin World Grand Prix 2015: Part 1 - Saraba December 29, 201519:20 Saitama, Japan Return to Heavyweight. 2015 Rizin Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal.
Win16–4 (1) Linton Vassell Decision (unanimous) Bellator 142: Dynamite 1 September 19, 201525:00 San Jose, California, United StatesBellator Light Heavyweight tournament semifinal.
Win15–4 (1) Cheick Kongo Decision (split) Bellator 134 February 27, 201535:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United StatesHeavyweight bout.
Win14–4 (1) Joe Vedepo TKO (punches) Bellator 131 November 15, 201430:39 San Diego, California, United States
Win13–4 (1) Dustin Jacoby TKO (punches) Bellator 123 September 5, 201421:13 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Loss12–4 (1) Quinton Jackson Decision (unanimous) Bellator 120 May 17, 201435:00 Southaven, Mississippi, United StatesBellator Season 10 Light Heavyweight tournament final.
Win12–3 (1) Mikhail Zayats Decision (unanimous) Bellator 110 February 28, 201435:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United StatesBellator Season 10 Light Heavyweight tournament semifinal.
Loss11–3 (1) Emanuel Newton Decision (unanimous) Bellator 106 November 2, 201355:00 Long Beach, California, United StatesFor the Interim Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win11–2 (1) Jacob Noe TKO (retirement) Bellator 97 July 31, 201332:51 Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United StatesBellator 2013 Summer Series Light Heavyweight tournament final.
Win10–2 (1) Seth Petruzelli KO (punch) Bellator 96 June 19, 201311:35 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United StatesBellator 2013 Summer Series Light Heavyweight tournament semifinal.
Loss9–2 (1) Emanuel Newton KO (spinning back fist) Bellator 90 February 21, 201312:35 West Valley City, Utah, United StatesBellator Season 8 Light Heavyweight tournament semifinal.
Win9–1 (1)Przemyslaw MysialaTKO (punches) Bellator 86 January 24, 201313:52 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United StatesBellator Season 8 Light Heavyweight tournament quarterfinal.
NC8–1 (1) Lorenz Larkin NC (overturned) Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine January 7, 201221:32 Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesOriginally a KO (punches) win for Lawal; result overturned after Lawal tested positive for Drostanolone.
Win8–1 Roger Gracie KO (punches) Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov September 10, 201114:37 Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Loss7–1 Rafael Cavalcante TKO (punches and elbows) Strikeforce: Houston August 21, 201031:14 Houston, Texas, United StatesLost the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win7–0 Gegard Mousasi Decision (unanimous) Strikeforce: Nashville April 17, 201055:00 Nashville, Tennessee, United StatesReturn to Light Heavyweight; Won the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win6–0 Mike Whitehead KO (punches) Strikeforce: Evolution December 19, 200913:08 San Jose, California, United States
Win5–0 Mark Kerr TKO (punches) M-1 Global: Breakthrough August 28, 200910:25 Kansas City, Kansas, United StatesReturn to Heavyweight.
Win4–0 Ryo Kawamura Decision (unanimous) World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 7 March 20, 200935:00 Tokyo, Japan
Win3–0Yukiya NaitoTKO (punches) World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku no Ran 2009 January 4, 200913:54 Saitama, JapanLight Heavyweight debut.
Win2–0 Fábio Silva TKO (punches) World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 6 November 1, 200830:41 Saitama, Japan
Win1–0 Travis Wiuff TKO (punches) World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 5 September 28, 200812:11 Tokyo, Japan

World Championship matches

Res.RecordOpponentScoreDateEventLocationNotes
Loss2-1 Sazhid Sazhidov 1–0, 0–1, 1–12005-09-26 2005 World Wrestling Championships Budapest, Hungary Sazhidov wins on criteria.
Win2-0Ruslan Sumenkov6–0, 1–02005-09-26 2005 World Wrestling Championships Budapest, Hungary
Win1-0Ibrahim Al KhatibFall2005-09-26 2005 World Wrestling Championships Budapest, Hungary

Submission grappling record

? Matches, ? Wins (? Submissions), ? Losses (? Submissions), 0 Draws
ResultRec.OpponentMethodEventDivisionDateLocation
Loss0–1–1 Flag of the United States.svg James Krause Guillotine chokeQuintet UltraDecember 12, 2019
Draw1–1–0 Flag of the United States.svg Anthony Johnson PointsQuintet UltraDecember 12, 2019

[37] [38]

Professional wrestling career

Muhammed Lawal
Birth nameMuhammed Lawal
Born (1981-01-11) January 11, 1981 (age 43)
Murfreesboro, Tennessee [39]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) King Mo
Billed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) [40]
Billed weight205 lb (93 kg) [40]
Billed from San Jose, California [40]
Trained by Ohio Valley Wrestling [41]
DebutSeptember 2012

Early career

Lawal was a professional wrestling fan from an early age. [41] Upon graduating from college, Lawal was offered a contract by the professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment. Lawal spent a week at Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE's developmental territory, before ultimately rejecting the contract offer, instead opting to pursue a career in mixed martial arts. [42] [43]

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2012–2015)

In May 2012, upon signing with Bellator Fighting Championships, Lawal also signed a separate contract with the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), with the intention of simultaneously pursuing careers in mixed martial arts and professional wrestling. [39] [43] Lawal stated that he expected to appear with TNA "two or three times a month or whenever they can book me" and that "if I have a fight coming up, I won't be doing shows or taping". [41] [44] In September 2012, it was reported that Lawal would train as a professional wrestler at Ohio Valley Wrestling, now TNA's developmental territory in Louisville, Kentucky. [41] Lawal made his first appearance in TNA on the October 4, 2012 episode of Impact Wrestling . [45] He went on to serve as a special guest enforcer for a street fight between Bobby Roode and James Storm at the Bound for Glory pay-per-view on October 14, 2012. [46]

King Mo returned to TNA on the July 24, 2014 episode of Impact Wrestling as a heel, attacking Tommy Dreamer, Bully Ray and Devon and aligning with Team Dixie and Dixie Carter. [47] In late 2014, King Mo was removed from Team Dixie due to his absence from TNA.

When asked in February 2015 if he will appear again for TNA, King Mo stated: "I've always been MMA 100%. If they call me I'll make an appearance. Right now, there is nothing going on in wrestling unless they book me to do something." On July 20, 2015, Mo announced his departure from TNA.

Independent circuit (2014, 2019–present)

On June 14, 2014 at House of Hardcore 6, King Mo took part in a special Master Lock challenge from Chris Masters along with other wrestlers in the end, King Mo was able to avoid being to put in The Masterlock and he was able to put Masters in a leg lock submission making Masters tap out. [48]

Return to Impact Wrestling (2017)

On June 27, 2017, it was announced that King Mo would make his return to Impact Wrestling and be in Lashley's corner for his Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship match at Slammiversary. [49]

Major League Wrestling (2019–present)

On November 8, 2019, Mo wore an MLW shirt during his entrance to his final fight for Bellator. [50] The following morning it was announced that he had signed an exclusive deal with the promotion and would be making his debut for the promotion at their next TV taping. [51] He won his debut match for the promotion, which aired on their Thanksgiving episode of MLW Fusion via submission. [52] His last match in MLW by now is dated November 10,2021 on the 8th episode of MLW Fusion ALPHA Series.

Personal life

Lawal's parents are Muslim immigrants from Nigeria. [53] Lawal was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He has a younger brother named Abdullah and a younger sister named Aminat. The three were raised by a single mother, "My mom (Nike Rouseau) pretty much raised us all. My dad was never around." Muhammed's father committed suicide when Lawal was twenty years old. [54]

After his fight with Larkin, Lawal was diagnosed with Staphylococcus obtained from knee surgery. Lawal had a fever of 103 degrees, and the infection ate away at parts of his hip and legs, "I had this moment where I was like, man, I can see my hip bone. I was ripped still. I had an eight-pack. But there's my hip bone. I looked at my leg, and it looked like those zombies from The Walking Dead . I feel like I looked death in the face, and I survived." [55] [56] [57]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Amateur wrestling

  • International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles
    • 2007 Hargobind International Tournament Senior Freestyle Gold Medalist
    • 2007 Alexander Medved International Senior Freestyle Silver Medalist
    • 2007 Pan American Championships Senior Freestyle Gold Medalist
    • 2007 World Cup Senior Freestyle Silver Medalist
    • 2007 Takhti Cup Senior Freestyle Gold Medalist
    • 2006 Golden Grand Prix Senior Freestyle Bronze Medalist
    • 2006 Uzbekistan Independence Cup Golden Grand Prix Senior Freestyle Gold Medalist
    • 2006 Yasar Dogu International Senior Freestyle Gold Medalist
    • 2006 Dave Schultz Memorial International Open Senior Freestyle Gold Medalist
    • 2005 Dave Schultz Memorial International Open Senior Freestyle Silver Medalist
    • 2004 Clan International Championships Senior Freestyle Silver Medalist
    • 2004 Dave Schultz Memorial International Open Senior Freestyle Bronze Medalist
    • 2004 FILA Manitoba Open Senior Freestyle Silver Medalist
    • 2003 Sunkist Kids International Open Senior Freestyle Bronze Medalist
  • USA Wrestling
    • USA Senior Freestyle National Championship (2005, 2006, 2008)
    • USA University Freestyle National Championship (2003)
    • 2006 NYAC Christmas Championships Senior Freestyle Gold Medalist
    • 2005 FILA World Team Trials Senior Freestyle Winner
    • 2004 NYAC Christmas Championships Senior Freestyle Silver Medalist
  • National Collegiate Athletic Association
  • University Interscholastic League
    • UIL High School Texas State Championship (1999)
    • UIL High School All-State (1997, 1998, 1999)

Wrestling

Professional wrestling

See also

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Liam McGeary is an English professional mixed martial artist who competed in Bellator's Light Heavyweight division. He is a former Bellator Light Heavyweight World Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darrion Caldwell</span> American mixed martial arts fighter

Darrion Caldwell is an American mixed martial artist and graduated collegiate wrestler, who currently competes in the bantamweight division. He formely competed in Bellator MMA, where he is the former Bellator Bantamweight World Champion. A professional since 2012, he has also competed for Legacy FC. As a folkstyle wrestler, Caldwell was the 2009 NCAA Division I National Champion, and a two-time All-American at 149 pounds out of the North Carolina State University. He was also a four-time ACC Conference champion.

2016 in Bellator MMA was the eighth year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promoter based in the United States. Bellator held 23 events in 2016.

The year 2019 was the fifth year in the history of the Rizin Fighting Federation, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. The year began with Rizin 15 in Yokohama on April 21, 2019.

References

  1. ↑ "Mixed Martial Arts Show Results – Date: January 7, 2012 – Location: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas" (PDF). Nevada State Athletic Commission . January 7, 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  2. ↑ "411Mania".
  3. ↑ "Wrestling State Champions". University Interscholastic League.
  4. ↑ "Muhammed Lawal - Oklahoma State Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Muhammed Lawal - MMA Linker". February 22, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Most Popular". CNN.
  7. ↑ "Muhammed Lawal ("King Mo") - MMA Fighter Page - Tapology". Tapology. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Sengoku 6 results: Gomi upset, Santiago and Kitaoka win grand prix crowns | MMAjunkie.com". Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
  9. ↑ Sherdog.com. "Sengoku "Seventh Battle" Play-by-Play". Sherdog. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  10. ↑ Sherdog.com. "'King Mo' Reigns in 'Seventh Battle' Main Event". Sherdog. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  11. ↑ Sherdog.com. "Lawal Mauls Kerr, Fedor Submits Mousasi at M-1". Sherdog. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  12. ↑ Sherdog.com. "Manager: Lawal Out 9 Months for Knee Surgery". Sherdog.com. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Roger Gracie withdraws from Strikeforce bout with Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal KNOCKED ROGER THE EFF OUT DOE". mmajunkie.com. June 25, 2011. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Strikeforce's 'King Mo' Lawal tests positive for anabolic steroid, fighter denies use". mmajunkie.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  15. ↑ Sherdog.com. "Nevada Commission Hands 'King Mo' 9-Month Suspension, Changes Jan. 7 Victory to No Contest". Sherdog. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Muhammed 'King Mo' Lawal Responds To NSAC Suspension, Explains Twitter Comments - Bloody Elbow". Bloody Elbow. March 28, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  17. ↑ "'King' Mo Lawal Responds To Zuffa Release, Discusses Today's Events - Bloody Elbow". Bloody Elbow. March 28, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Bleacher Report". Bleacher Report . Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  19. ↑ Caldwell, James (May 10, 2012). "TNA/MMA News: Press Release - King Mo joins TNA and Bellator as part of two separate deals". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
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  21. ↑ "Muhammed Lawal-Emanuel Newton rematch for interim title on Bellator 106 PPV". MMAJunkie.com. August 15, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
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  23. ↑ "Lawal-DeBlass reset for Nov. 15". espn.go.com. September 22, 2014.
  24. ↑ Staff (November 2, 2014). "Nasty cut forces Tom DeBlass out of 'King Mo' fight at Bellator 131". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  25. ↑ Staff (January 20, 2015). "'King Mo' Lawal, Cheick Kongo meet in heavyweight bout at Bellator 134". mmajunkie.com.
  26. ↑ Michael Stets (June 19, 2015). "Bellator 'Dynamite' to feature title fight, one-night light heavyweight tourney, and GLORY kickboxing in San Jose". mmamania.com. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  27. ↑ Staff (May 13, 2016). "Bellator 154 weigh-in results: 'King Mo' Lawal, Phil Davis set for title eliminator". mmajunkie.com.
  28. ↑ Steven Marrocco (May 14, 2016). "Bellator 154 results: Phil Davis earns title shot with decision over 'King Mo' Lawal". mmajunkie.com.
  29. ↑ Brent Brookhouse (December 16, 2016). "Bellator 169 results: 'King Mo' Lawal dominates Satoshi Ishii for decision win". mmajunkie.com.
  30. ↑ Matt Erickson (March 31, 2017). "Bellator 175 results: 'King Mo' Lawal evens score with decision over 'Rampage' Jackson". mmajunkie.com.
  31. ↑ MMA Junkie Staff (April 24, 2017). "Phil Davis replaces 'King Mo' Lawal, will defend title vs. Ryan Bader at Bellator 180". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  32. ↑ Staff (July 14, 2017). "Gegard Mousasi headlines Bellator 185 against Alexander Shlemenko in October". mmajunkie.com.
  33. ↑ "King Mo vs. Liam McGeary Added to Bellator Hawaii". Cageside Press. September 17, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Bellator 213 Results: Macfarlane vs Létourneau". mmafighting.com. December 15, 2018.
  35. ↑ "'King Mo' Lawal represents Bellator in 8-man tourney at New Year's Eve Rizin card in Japan". MMAjunkie. November 7, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  36. ↑ "Scheduled Fighters". RIZIN FIGHTING FEDERATION. Archived from the original on November 22, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  37. ↑ "Muhammed Lawal ("King Mo") | MMA Fighter Page".
  38. ↑ "Muhammed Lawal | FloGrappling | Grappling".
  39. 1 2 "King Mo, Bellator & TNA Join Forces For Unprecedented Alliance On SpikeTV". ImpactWrestling.com. 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  40. 1 2 3 "King Mo". ImpactWrestling.com . Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  41. 1 2 3 4 Fishman, Scott (September 4, 2012). "King Mo Muhammed Lawal with Bellator Fighting, TNA Impact Wrestling on Spike TV". The Miami Herald. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  42. ↑ Caldwell, James (May 10, 2012). "TNA News: King Mo talks decision to join TNA, influence of Sting & Hogan, TNA stars he wants to work with, will he face MMA fighter in TNA?". Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter . Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  43. 1 2 Bishop, Matt (May 11, 2012). "MMA fighter and life-long wrestling fan 'King Mo' to begin TNA career". Canoe.ca. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  44. ↑ Caldwell, James (May 18, 2012). "King Mo reveals TNA schedule". Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter . Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  45. ↑ Caldwell, James (October 4, 2012). "Caldwell's TNA Impact results 10/4: Ongoing "virtual-time" coverage of live Impact - King Mo's TV debut, Aries-Hardy latest PPV hype". PWTorch.com . Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  46. ↑ Caldwell, James (October 14, 2012). "Caldwell's TNA Bound for Glory PPV results 10/14: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live PPV - Aries vs. Hardy, Storm vs. Roode". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  47. ↑ "FULL IMPACT SPOILERS FROM NYC FOR THE 7/17 AND 7/24 EPISODES - PWInsider.com" . Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  48. ↑ "House of Hardcore 6.14.14 results". Archived from the original on July 20, 2014.
  49. ↑ "King Mo To Be In Lashley's Corner At Slammiversary". Fightful.com. June 27, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  50. ↑ MMA, Bellator (November 8, 2019). "@KingMoFH makes his way to the cage for the 33rd time as a pro and looks for a win tonight at #Bellator233pic.twitter.com/VV191gQuJI". @BellatorMMA. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  51. ↑ "King Mo to make MLW debut at Saturday TV taping". WON/F4W - WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, UFC News, UFC results. November 9, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  52. ↑ MLW Fusion on Thanksgiving: Jacob Fatu vs Ross Von Erich | World Heavyweight Title Match , retrieved November 29, 2019
  53. ↑ "Q&A: 'King Mo' Lawal on pride and prejudice in MMA". June 28, 2017.
  54. ↑ "MMA Magazine -FIGHT! Magazine – Archives - Just another WordPress site". FIGHT! Magazine. Archived from the original on March 12, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  55. ↑ "King Mo reportedly suffered life-threatening staph infection, health scare now under control - MMAmania.com". MMAmania.com. February 21, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  56. ↑ "Lawal's fight back from infection, positive drug test just beginning". CNN. March 23, 2012.
  57. ↑ "theScore" . Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  58. ↑ Mike Bohn (November 5, 2019). "Bellator 233 pre-event facts: 'King Mo' Lawal drops weight for retirement fight". mmajunkie.com.
  59. ↑ "2016 Vendetty Awards". Vendetta Pro Wrestling. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
Preceded by 4th Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion
April 17, 2010 – August 21, 2010		Succeeded by
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