Former Strikeforce champ ‘King Mo’ Lawal out of BKFC debut on Sept. 13

43-year-old former Strikeforce champ Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal has been ruled out of his BKFC debut due to injury.

[autotag]Muhammed Lawal[/autotag]’s return to combat sports competition is off.

Former Strikeforce champion and longtime Bellator veteran “King Mo” Lawal was scheduled to make his BKFC debut at BKFC 66 on Sept. 13 at Dave Mundell, but an injury sustained in training will prevent that from happening.

A BKFC official verified the news to MMA Junkie on Wednesday following an initial report from MMAFighting.com.

The exact nature of Lawal’s injury was not disclosed, and it remains to be seen if the 43-year-old will make another comeback attempt once he is medically cleared. In the meantime, BKFC officials told MMA Junkie a new fight for Mundell’s BKFC middleweight title is in the works.

“King Mo” hasn’t competed since November 2019, when he suffered a first-round knockout loss to Andrew Kapal at Bellator 233 in his MMA retirement bout. The result extended his losing skid to four fights, all of which came by stoppage due to strikes.

During his MMA career, Lawal (21-10) defeated notables such as Quinton Jackson, Jiri Prochazka, Linton Vassell, Cheick Kongo, and more. He served as a part-time coach at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla., during his fighting career, but following his retirement, became a full-time part of the gym.

When speaking to MMA Junkie shortly after his fight was announced earlier this month, Lawal said his incentive for a comeback was to “test himself.”

Former Strikeforce champ ‘King Mo’ Lawal ends retirement, signs BKFC deal with debut set

Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal will fight for the first time since 2019 when he debuts with BKFC on Sept. 13.

[autotag]Muhammed Lawal[/autotag] took his gloves off and announced his combat sports retirement nearly five years ago. His time away from competition is over, but the gloves will stay off.

The promotion announced Friday that Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion and multi-time Bellator title challenger “King Mo” Lawal has signed a one-fight deal with BKFC and already has his promotional debut set.

Lawal, 43, will make his debut against Dave Mundell in a 185-pound bout at BKFC 66, which takes place Sept. 13 at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Fla. Mundell is the reigning BKFC champion at 175 pounds but will move up to welcome Lawal to the ring.

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“King Mo” hasn’t competed since November 2019, when he suffered a first-round knockout loss to Andrew Kapal at Bellator 233 in his MMA retirement bout. The result extended his losing skid to four fights, all of which came by stoppage due to strikes.

During his MMA career, Lawal (21-10) defeated notables such as Quinton Jackson, Jiri Prochazka, Linton Vassell, Cheick Kongo, and more. He served as a part-time coach at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla., during his fighting career, but following his retirement, became a full-time part of the gym.

MMA Junkie Radio at Joint Base Langley-Eustis: A weekend with the troops

Dan Henderson, Ricardo Lamas, “King Mo,” Luis Palomino, and Erick Nicksick joined George and “Goze” on the military base in Virginia,

Thursday is an important day for Americans as we celebrate Veterans Day. Every year we honor those men and women who have served our country across the five military branches.

One week ago, Goze and I traveled to Virginia to visit troops. This was our eighth military morale trip overall and our seventh to Joint Base Langley-Eustis. JBLE is actually two bases: Langley Air Base (Air Force) and Fort Eustis (Army). Though we spent most of our time on Fort Eustis, we did drop by Langley Air Base, too.

On each of our trips, we’ve taken many MMA fighters/notables. This trip’s guest list: Dan Henderson, Muhammed Lawal, Ricardo Lamas, Luis Palomino, and Xtreme Couture coach Eric Nicksick.

Here’s a recap of our trip …

2021 ABC Conference agenda set for Orlando; discussion topics and guest speakers announced

The Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) will hold its annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. featuring notable guest speakers and more.

After a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) is set to hold its yearly conference for the first time since 2019 – and the 33rd time overall.

The 2021 ABC Conference is set to take place over the span of five days, from Saturday, July 24, to Wednesday, July 28, at Caribe Royale in Orlando, Fla. The first two days will feature referee and judge classes taught by seasoned MMA official Kevin MacDonald, while the second three will entail the presentations, meetings, and guest speakers for ABC commission members from around the country.

According to Mohegan Tribe commission director of athletic regulation and former ABC president Mike Mazzulli, all fighters are welcome to attend the referee and judging classes and/or the ABC meetings themselves (free of cost).

On Monday, July 26 speakers include ABC president Brian Dunn, referee John English, Dr. Michael Schwartz, Dr. Nitin Sethi, and WWE’s Rich Hering. Topics for the day include a retired fighters’ pension fund, boxing/MMA after the COVID-19 pandemic, what commissions should know about pre-fight medical testing, boxing and MMA rule committee updates, and tribal commissions/issues.

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On Tuesday, July 27 speakers include [autotag]Nik Lentz[/autotag], first vice president of the WBO John Duggan, Dr. Warren Wang, Dr. Wayne Lee, Mohegan Tribe director of athletic regulation Mike Mazzulli, ABC database regulators Kirik Jenness and Chris Palmquist, and former Bellator star “King Mo” [autotag]Muhammed Lawal[/autotag]. Topics for the day include weight-cutting and its complications, orthopedic injuries, and officer elections.

On Wednesday, July 28, speakers include Dr. Don Muzzi, former boxing star Nate Campbell, former UFC fighter [autotag]Spencer Fisher[/autotag], longtime MMA manager and promoter Monte Cox, and UFC hall of famer [autotag]Pat Miletich[/autotag]. Topics for the day include concussions in combat sports, bare-knuckle boxing committee formation and rules meeting, MMA before regulation, and the annual closing banquet.

Check out the full 2021 ABC Conference agenda here (updated: July 8, 2021).

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‘King Mo’ Lawal breaks down Bellator’s light heavyweight grand prix quarterfinals

‘King Mo’ Lawal shares his thoughts on the quarterfinal matchups for Bellator’s light heavyweight grand prix.

[autotag]Muhammed Lawal[/autotag] is keeping a close eye to the upcoming Bellator light heavyweight grand prix.

The former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion likes what Bellator has put together for their 205-pound division this spring – an eight-man tournament where the light heavyweight title is being disputed throughout the entirety of the bracket.

Defending titleholder [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] hopes to solidify his status as champion, while [autotag]Phil Davis[/autotag], [autotag]Anthony Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag], [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag], [autotag]Lyoto Machida[/autotag], [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov[/autotag] will attempt to dethrone the champion and leave the grand prix reining over the division.

Lawal, who’s got plenty of experience in MMA tournaments, having won the Rizin FF heavyweight grand prix in 2015 and competed in the Bellator heavyweight grand prix in 2018, is excited to see this upcoming tournament unfold. And although he feels Nemkov might retain his title through the entirety of tournament, “King Mo” admits the grand prix is as competitive as they come.

Speaking with MMA Junkie Radio, Lawal shared his thoughts the upcoming Bellator light heavyweight grand prix.

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Video: Relive Bellator 233 on MMA Junkie

Check out a live replay of Bellator 233, which featured the final fight of “King Mo’s” career.

You can watch a live replay of Bellator 233 right here on MMA Junkie, beginning at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT).

Bellator 233, which took place November 8, 2019 at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla., featured former Strikeforce champion [autotag]Muhammed Lawal[/autotag]’s retirement fight.

In the middleweight main event, [autotag]John Salter[/autotag] defeated [autotag]Costello van Steenis[/autotag] by unanimous decision. The co-headliner was “King Mo” losing by first-round knockout to [autotag]Andrew Kapel[/autotag] in his retirement fight. [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyrell Fortune[/autotag] also picked up victories on the main card.

You can catch all of the action in the video above.

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Bellator free fight: Andrew Kapel spoils Muhammed Lawal’s retirement fight with 82-second knockout

Muhammed Lawal’s retirement fight at Bellator 233 didn’t exactly go as planned – all thanks to newcomer Andrew Kapel.

[autotag]Muhammed Lawal[/autotag]’s retirement fight didn’t exactly go as planned – all thanks to [autotag]Andrew Kapel[/autotag].

A relatively unknown fighter and promotional debutant, Kapel (15-6 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) entered the cage opposite an MMA legend. Prior to their Bellator 233 showdown in November 2019, Lawal (21-10 MMA, 10-7 BMMA) had announced the fight would be his last. “King Mo” had already previously retired in early 2019 but decided to come back for one more fight.

In the span of 82 seconds, Kapel ruined Lawal’s aspirations of ending his career with a victory. After Lawal caught Kapel’s kick, the longtime MMA veteran swung for a counter hook. In the exchange, Lawal’s hook missed, but Kapel’s didn’t. Kapel floored Lawal and finished the fight with some follow up blows.

After the fight, Lawal left his gloves in the center of the cage – signaling the end of a storied 11-year career.

Check out Andrew Kapel’s knockout of Muhammed Lawal in the video above.

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American Top Team coach ‘King Mo’ Lawal: ‘Everyone’s stir crazy’ because of coronavirus

American Top Team coach Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal reflects on effects coronavirus is having on fighters.

The current coronavirus outbreak is affecting nearly everybody around the globe, including MMA fighters.

The outbreak of COVID-19 in the U.S. has forced many states to put restrictions and bans on mass gatherings, as well as close non-essential establishments across the board. That means shutting down many MMA gyms and forcing promotions to suspend events, as well.

Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion and current American Top Team coach [autotag]Muhammed Lawal[/autotag] has been a close witness to the effects the global pandemic is having on the MMA community, especially its fighters.

“It already started (messing with fighters),” Lawal told MMA Junkie Radio. “Right when it was said cards will be canceled for a while, fighters were wondering, ‘If I’m fighting in June, is that messed up? What about this?’ But June is two months from now. You got people with fights in June wondering if they’re going to be fighting. You have people also on the shelf looking for fights wondering, ‘Will I be on the shelf further, longer?’ So right now, everybody is in limbo.”

American Top Team’s flagship location in Coconut Creek, Fla., is closed, but the staff and owner Dan Lambert will reassess the situation in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, “King Mo” thinks the gym will likely remain closed much longer than that.

“Last week, when everything was getting shut down, we had a team meeting last Tuesday or last Wednesday, and said, ‘Things are getting bad. We’re gonna shut the gym down for two weeks, then we’ll have a coaches’ meeting in two more weeks to see what we’re gonna do,'” Lawal said. “I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be shut down another two weeks. That’s what I’m thinking. So right now everyone’s stir crazy.”

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Lawal says the reaction to the closing of the gym was no different than the one happening now across the U.S. It’s been a mixed bag from everyone involved.

“The gym is like America,” Lawal said. “You have some guys (saying), ‘Damn, this is serious.’ Then some guys like, ‘Oh, is it? I don’t know. Is it serious?’ And then there’s some other guys saying, ‘Oh, this is probably fake.’

“People were weirded out, and there’s some confusion. But once we said, ‘Hey, don’t come to the gym until we hit you up in two weeks,’ people were like, ‘Oh, hell no. What are we going to do?’ And I was like, ‘Y’all can shadowbox on your own at y’alls house or go on a jog or something, but don’t come to the gym.’ I’ve seen people doing pushups, burpees, shadowboxing, that’s about it.”

“King Mo” says he’s just living life close to normal, as he usually stays home, anyway. But even then, he’s not going to go out to risk his life and others. Lawal says the coronavirus is very real, and people should take it seriously.

“First of all, the coronavirus is very real for all ya’ll dumbass Trump supporters,” Lawal explained. “Yes, it was real from the get-go. All you dummies posting, ‘Oh, H1N1, this is not that dangerous. We’ll survive like we survived SARS.’

“The COVID-19 virus is a version of SARS – severe acute respiratory symptom. Dummies, it’s real. That’s why Donald Trump went out and declared a state of emergency. It’s real. Y’all be safe, wash your hands.”

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