Muhammed ‘King Mo’ Lawal confident headed into first title fight

By Brett Okamoto

Tuesday, April 6, 2010 | 10:10 p.m.

Top Strikeforce prospect Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal doesn't fight like a guy with only six professional bouts under his belt.

He doesn't talk like one either.

Although he didn't start his professional mixed martial arts career until 2008, Lawal (6-0) has guaranteed victory over the favored Gegard Mousasi (28-2-1) in their light heavyweight title fight April 17 in Nashville.

In fact, the 28-year-old fighter says the hardest part of defeating the current champ already has been done — getting him to accept the fight.

"My advantage is that he signed the contract and that's all I've got to say," Lawal said. "The number of fights I have really don't matter. I'm going to win this fight."

When pressed, the smooth-talking Lawal admits he's got a strategy to take out Mousasi, who is considered by some to be amongst the top 10 pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

The strategy consists of unleashing his brand new way of fighting he refers to as "Cuban style," which apparently combines aspects of Lawal's favorite Cuban wrestlers, boxers and judo fighters.

It's a style of fighting no one has ever seen before and should make quick work of Mousasi, he said.

"I've got a new thing out there called the Cuban style," Lawal said. "You all will see it when it comes fight time. I've been to wrestling matches and I've watched boxing and I'm a fan of how the Cubans do things.

"I've studied their styles and put it together into one whole package. It's pretty damn raw."

Mousasi, however, probably is less concerned with Lawal's "Cuban style" and more concerned by his wrestling. Lawal was a colelgiate All-American at wrestling powerhouse Oklahoma State.

The Dutch-Armenian fighter has added weight to his frame and says he feels well-prepared to deal with Lawal's ground game.

"He's obviously got a better wrestling background, so he'll have an advantage there," Mousasi said. "But every time I hear people say wrestling, I tell them I'm not concentrating on a wrestling match. This is a fight.

"I've gained a few pounds, and I feel I've improved in a lot of aspects. I'm not planning on fighting from my back. I'm going to do everything I can do to stand up and stay in top position."

Mousasi also remains confident in his ability to absorb Lawal's strikes, even though five of his opponent's six wins have ended by knockout or TKO.

"No one has ever ground and pounded me," Mousasi said. "I know for sure I have a good chin. Nobody has ever knocked me out. I'm not even thinking about getting knocked out. That's why I'm confident he can't hurt me."

The fight is shaping up to me one of the most intriguing matchups on the card, which will be televised by CBS. Strikeforce officials are expecting a crowd of roughly 12,000 fans.

The main event features a middleweight title fight between champion Jake Shields and former UFC star Dan Henderson.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker acknowledged that it's unusual to see a fighter with just six professional bouts vying for a light heavyweight title, but that the opportunity to match the confident Lawal against the dominant champ Mousasi was too good to put off.

"One thing (Strikeforce) is good at is putting on big fights and 'Wow' fights," Coker said. "This is a fight that everybody in my office says, 'Wow. That would be the fight.' It's about spirit of competition more than just your record. That's what people want to see."

Mousasi, 24, is in the last fight of his contract with Strikeforce but has expressed interest in signing another long-term deal that would keep him with the organization.

Although Coker hasn't gone into the details of a future contract with the fighter, he has stated that Mousasi will stick around no matter what happens with Lawal.

"Gegard is still under contract and we're looking forward to him fighting in Strikeforce for many years," Coker said.

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or [email protected]. Also follow him on twitter: LVSunFighting.