On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Bellator MMA fighter "King" Mo Lawal (http://www.twitter.com/KingMoFH).
He will be returning to action Wednesday, June 19, in the semifinals of Bellator MMA's four-man light heavyweight tournament, facing MMA veteran Seth Petruzelli. This fight will headline this card, which takes place at the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma, and will be televised live in the U.S. on Spike TV.
This will be the first fight for "King" Mo following his upset loss to Emanuel Newton on February 21, 2013, in the Bellator Season 8 light heavyweight tournament semifinals. In that fight, he lost by first-round KO after Newton landed a spinning backfist.
We spoke with "King" Mo Monday by phone about his June 19 fight and the lessons of his last fight.
In this interview, he admitted, "I got caught" by Newton's spinning backfist. And, he said, in preparing for the June 19 fight with Petruzelli, "I had to make some adjustments."
But he added, "I'm not going to change much," noting that his wrestling, grappling, sparring, boxing, and kickboxing are all "on point."
He already weighs 210, just five pounds over the MMA light heavyweight limit, and said, "I'm always in shape. I'm ready to go."
He also discussed his training with Olympic gold medalist wrestler and current Iowa State coach Kevin Jackson, and noted boxing trainer Jeff Mayweather, along with numerous active fighters. We also discussed the first-round TKO upset win in boxing this past Saturday by Adonis Stevenson over Chad Dawson to capture the WBC light heavyweight belt.
In addition, "King" Mo is signed to perform in the TNA pro wrestling organization, which also airs on Spike TV. We discussed his training for that, how it compares to the other training he is doing, and what real catch wrestling moves he is learning there. And we discussed Quinton "Rampage" Jackson also signing with both Bellator and TNA, the continuing turmoil in international wrestling and some of his experiences there, and more.
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