Once of the most colorful personalities in Bellator, Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, would like to see an old rival join him after his UFC contract is up: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
Lawal was vocal in bringing in the former PRIDE star when he spoke to MMAWeekly Radio on Monday.
“Hell yeah, if they want to pay him and show him respect and take care of him. Give him a pro wrestling deal too, yeah, throw him a little boxing in his contract, like mine. Hell yeah, Rampage can get his money … Come fight where you feel like you’re respected, where you feel comfortable. I just want all fighters that have been in the game for a while to get their money, feel happy and feel comfortable and feel respected.”
Jackson’s displeasure with the UFC, his current employer, dates back over 10 months. His argument seems to be that he is underpaid is disrespected by his employer, so he wants to fight elsewhere once his contract expires.
However, he may trade in the Octagon for the ring as the former UFC light heavyweight champion has stated that he may take up boxing full time following his departure from the world’s premier MMA organization.
Lawal, who won the Strikeforce light heavyweight strap back in April 2010, realizes Rampage may be done with MMA—but if he’s not, he’s open to a high-profile matchup between the two.
“I don’t care where he goes, but if he wants to come to Bellator, hey that’s cool with me,” Lawal said. “He wants to fight at 205, let’s do it. He wants to fight at heavyweight, hey go ahead and do it.”
The last fight on Jackson’s contract is his showdown with rising Brazilian prospect Glover Teixeira at UFC on FOX 6 on Saturday.
Given that the 42-fight veteran enters the bout with a 2-3 record in his last five bouts, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him retire from the sport if he loses decisively.
Lawal signed a contract with Bellator in May 2010 and makes his long-awaited promotional debut this Thursday against Przemyslaw Mysiala.
The bout is a quarterfinal fight in the eighth season of the Bellator light heavyweight tournament.
Lawal‘s Bellator signing was monumental, as he simultaneously signed a contract with Total Nonstop Action (TNA), a professional wrestling organization. Both Bellator and TNA air on Spike TV.
His Bellator contract also has a boxing clause, which permits him to trade leather in the ring as long as he gets through a light heavyweight tournament uninjured.
Rampage versus King Mo under the Bellator banner: still worth watching if Jackson gets dismantled by Teixeira this weekend?
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