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King Mo Lawal to Bellator: That’s Great, but Who Is He Supposed to Fight?

If you follow Twitter, you probably know that Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal has signed a deal that will allow him to compete in Bellator and wrestle for TNA on Spike TV. While a lot of the details remain unknown, we know that he doesn’t have a deal with Spi…

I’m happy for Mo. In my experience, he’s one of the nicest people in MMA and after the hell he’s gone through health-wise, he deserves some great news. But I can’t help but scratch my head at what challenges he’s expected to face in Bellator.

The last light heavyweight tournament was used to crown current champion Christian M’Pumbu. Hell, any light heavyweights not in the UFC are still under contract in Strikeforce.

I’ll be totally honest; I’m actually more interested in what he’ll be doing in TNA. Based on a leaked graphic, it appears like his first program is expected to be with Sting. While TNA doesn’t have the depth of the WWE, they at least have some legitimate talent that can make Mo look good while he’s still green.

This is all assuming that said talent won’t try and bury him, as he’s expected to make an impact at the top of TNA almost immediately.

And that’s a legitimate concern. Professional wrestling is notorious for having ridiculous politics that have seen talented individuals relegated to mid-card status because the main-eventers failed to put them over.

The booker for TNA, Hulk Hogan, was one of the worst offenders. In the ’80s he killed the build for everyone from Macho Man to Sgt. Slaughter. He did the same when he signed with WCW and beat Ric Flair for the heavyweight belt in his first match with the promotion. Who’s to say he won’t do the same when he’s finally in a real position of power?

I don’t want to come off as super negative, because this could be one of the best things to happen to the two brands. Bellator is in desperate need for light heavyweight talent and Mo is a great cornerstone. Same as TNA. They need to shake off their identity as the place where old wrestlers go to die.

Mo will add some more legitimacy to their product. I just don’t see the upside for Lawal outside of some solid paydays.

I just don’t understand what benefit there is for him to actually fight in a tournament. Bellator would be better served just having Mo usurp M’Pumbu right away. If he runs through the tournament and kills off your prospects, who will he fight in the future?

Not only that, but let’s say he’s upset in the first or second round—or worse, injured. Why risk that when you can put on a real fight right away?

As usual, I’ll wait until Mo makes his debut in TNA before I totally write this deal off, but my initial gut reaction is that this sounds great on paper and will be an absolute failure in practice. Pro wrestling is incredibly tough on the body, which could see him forced out of Bellator even before the seventh season.

Hopefully I’m wrong. I just don’t see that happening.

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Alan Belcher Reflects on His Win over Rousimar Palhares at UFC on Fox 3

While the MMA media postulate on the success or failure that was UFC on FOX 3, there is a huge story that has gone ignored by almost everyone.Leading up to the card, there was only one question on everyone’s mind: Could Alan Belcher handle Rousimar Pal…

While the MMA media postulate on the success or failure that was UFC on FOX 3, there is a huge story that has gone ignored by almost everyone.

Leading up to the card, there was only one question on everyone’s mind: Could Alan Belcher handle Rousimar Palhares’ leg locks? It was a question that Belcher fielded twice at the open workouts and once more at the pre-fight press conference. It was a question he heard so often that he had a rehearsed answer.

If anyone paid attention to the pre-fight stories, you’d have expected Rousimar Palhares to grab hold of Belcher’s leg and rip it clean off. It wasn’t even a question of “if”, it was almost as if it was predetermined that Alan would go back to Mississippi missing a limb.

“Well, I knew that if I’d fight on the ground it would be a mistake because even though you saw me fight on the ground and defend the leg locks pretty easy and was pretty close to submission on him, it would still be a mistake to try and force that.”

He added, “I knew that if we got to the ground I was confident that I could stop whatever he had. I didn’t know that I would beat him on the ground but I was pretty confident. I dreamed about proving something but never let that get to me to where that was what I was focused on. My main objective was to get the win.”

The fact that Rousimar Palhares is such a “one-trick pony” actually worked to Belcher’s advantage. Instead of having to game plan for a fighter with multiple ways to victory, he and his coaches only had to plan for leg locks.

“Sometimes you have to guess a little bit about what your opponent’s gonna do and how they’re thinking about fighting you. But he fights everyone the same. It definitely made it easy for me. It made a really hard fight easy to train for and an easy one to win because I was so focused and I respected so much what he could do.”

The way that the fight played out, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Belcher, a BJJ blackbelt, planned to attempt his own submissions on the Brazilian Top Team representative. What should be surprising is the ease in which he transitioned between all of them.

“I didn’t train specifically for him to do that stuff because I didn’t think that he would do that kind of takedown. But the kind of takedown that he did with his head on the outside, head out twisting a leg…whatever you wanna call that position…I wasn’t going to let him hold me down. I sometimes go to their back or get them in that kind of ‘bananasplit/twister position’. It’s called the ‘truck’ and I do that in training all the time. It’s a really good move that I do there.”

He’d add, “the crack down is often how anyone can get me down. It’s a pretty high percentage for getting people to sit down on their butt. But it leaves you open for back attacks, guillotines, twisters…stuff like that. I’m pretty good at that kinda stuff and I have a lot of moves on the ground. I train with a lot of high level grapplers and BJJ fighters. I got my twister game tweaked up by Eddie Bravo a couple years back. I get people with that stuff all the time.”

The term “biggest fight of your career” gets thrown around often and for the most part, it is accurate. However, for Belcher, the biggest fight of his career was when his almost ended due to an eye injury. Now following the biggest fight of his career, Belcher sees things with perfect clarity.

“I came into this fight with a lot of focus and I was really in the zone, more than ever. I did my job and now I feel I just need to continue what I’m doing. I know it’s gonna take a few weeks to sort things out and talk to the UFC. They’re probably gonna wanna wait and see what happens at some of these other fights. Right now I’m just trying to enjoy this victory and enjoy time with my family and recover mentally and physically.”

Riding a huge win on network television over someone that everyone considered to be the top submission grappler in the division, Belcher reflects on this enormous win. He mentioned at the post-fight press conference that everyone counted him out and even joked that UFC President Dana White was one of those naysayers.

“Dana came to me and he admitted to me that he was excited about the fight and how it was a great fight. But he thought that Rousimar was just a beast on the ground and he was tearing people’s legs apart. When it went to the ground he thought it was over. I kinda laughed. Then he said ‘once you escaped everything and stayed inside his guard, I was thinking what is he doing? Why doesn’t he back up?’ I was like ‘it sucks eat your words sometimes don’t it?'”

I bet he won’t do that again.

If we’ve learned anything from the last three years of Alan Belcher’s career, it’s that we can never count “the Talent” out in any situation.

From having his career potentially cut short from an eye injury to now a contender, Alan has made everyone a believer in what he can do in the middleweight division. At just 28 years old, we’ll continue to see the evolution of Belcher for years to come.

If Saturday was any indication, we’ll be seeing him challenge for a title soon.

Matthew Roth is a Lead Blogger for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained first-hand.

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UFC on FOX 3 Results: What’s Next for the Winners and Losers?

UFC on Fox 3 is in the books and there are some huge takeaways. There’s also some big news coming out of the event as both Nate Diaz and Johny Hendricks earned title shots in victory. With the fights over and the fighters home, it’s time to play f…

UFC on Fox 3 is in the books and there are some huge takeaways. There’s also some big news coming out of the event as both Nate Diaz and Johny Hendricks earned title shots in victory.

With the fights over and the fighters home, it’s time to play fantasy matchmaker with the winners and losers on the night. Some of these matchups were made for the division and others were made because they are exciting.

So without any further ado, let’s take a look at the matches to make after UFC on Fox 3.

Begin Slideshow

UFC on FOX 3 Results: Grades for All Main Card Fighters

UFC on FOX 3 is in the books, and some fighters were super impressive while others fell on hard times, daddy. The card lacked name value, but all of the fights delivered with excitement and stories. It’s what makes MMA intriguing and keeps me tuning in…

Let’s take a look at the main card and grade the performances of the combatants that took the cage tonight.

A+

Nate Diaz: HO-LEE CRAP! Nate Diaz is the biggest winner on the night. He becomes the first man to stop Jim Miller and earns himself a title shot with the win. Props to him for being respectful in victory.

Post-Fight Press Brownies: THESE BROWNIES WERE CRAZY! DEFINITE A+. SOMEONE GET THEM A “SNACK OF THE NIGHT” BONUS.

A-

Michael Johnson: He didn’t fight on the main card, but his performance tonight deserves recognition. There’s been questions in the past about his fight IQ and ability to maintain his composure when an opponent takes him off his game plan. Tonight, he had the best fight of his career and showed maturity as a fighter. Props to Michael Johnson.

Alan Belcher: Leading into this fight there were huge questions regarding his ability to escape Rousimar Palhares’ leg locks. Not only did he escape but he also attempted some of his own. The TKO finish was phenomenal and he made a case for contender consideration.

Lavar Johnson: Is there anyone in the heavyweight division that is physically more imposing than Lavar Johnson? He survived an early submission scare and finished the fight with those ham hocks he has for hands.

Johny Hendricks: He was told that in victory he would become the No. 1 contender for the welterweight title. It was a hard-fought win, but Johny Hendricks prevailed. He landed several powershots and showed improved boxing but lost in wrestling.

Josh Koscheck: This fight has to be disappointing for Josh Koscheck as the decision could have gone either way. Ricardo Almeida’s score card has caused some controversy and Koscheck has reason to be pissed.

Rousimar Palhares: He had several chances to finish the leg locks, but he just couldn’t keep the submission. When you only have a single path to victory, you have to get the tap out. He didn’t get the submission and paid dearly for it tonight.

Jim Miller: Jim Miller looked good in the first round and even took Nate Diaz’s back. He wasn’t able to maintain the position, though, and Diaz took over with his boxing. The biggest shame is that he was stopped for the first time in his UFC career.

Pat Barry: This has to be the worst loss of Pat Barry’s career. I was impressed that he had the submission attempt and his grappling looked as best as it has in his career. He made the mistake of letting Lavar tee off. Back to the drawing board, I guess?

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Dana White Says That Ronda Rousey Is a "Rockstar" and the Best in the World

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably noticed that Ronda Rousey has been making the rounds for Zuffa in the media. During the lead up to UFC on Fox 3 she along with Jon Jones and Frankie Edgar opened the NASDAQ on Tuesday morning. She…

Yesterday, following the UFC on Fox pre-fight press conference, Dana White was asked for his thoughts on Rousey as a fighter and as a person. His response was incredibly in-depth and candid.

She’s a rock star man. She’s been fantastic. She’s been killing it for us. I just hope that we can some really good fights for her. I love Ronda Rousey man. I do.

Our people decide when and where she fights but it’s about finding an opponent. We have to get her an opponent. You guys know I’m not doing anything with Strikeforce anymore. You guys know more than I know.

I think when you have two really good female athletes that are at the same level, yeah absolutely. Would you disagree that Miesha Tate’s probably the best girl in that division that’s out there that she’s fought? She went in there and arm barred her twice in the first two minutes of the fight. I mean, unfortunately, she’s gonna be the Lucia Rijker of MMA. And for those of you that don’t know who Lucia Rijker was, she was the female boxer who was really the best in the world. You’ve heard of Kristi Martin and Layla Ali and all these other people, they wouldn’t fight her. Nobody wanted to fight Lucia Rijker. She was sparring with guys. She was probably the best female boxer ever and nobody knows who the hell she is…nobody knows her name.

Dana is definitely correct in his assessment of Ronda Rousey. She is a rarity in this sport as she has both the pedigree and oratory abilities to garner respect outside of the MMA media. Zuffa recognizes this and has been using Ronda as a spokesperson not just in interviews but also in opportunities that utilize her Olympic background.

It is a shame that she is so ahead of her time as far as competition in the bantamweight division; a fighter like her is a unique talent. If Zuffa does opt to fold Strikeforce once the Showtime deal runs out, I would expect them to continue to showcase Rousey on fight cards in the future. She’s too much of an asset to cut loose.

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Dana White Says Frank Mir and Roy Nelson Have Most to Lose at UFC 146

After the UFC on Fox 3 pre-fight presser, Dana White dropped a very interesting nugget to the media in attendance about UFC 146.He was asked who in his opinion had the most to lose at UFC 146 and his answer may surprise you. It’s an interesting questio…

After the UFC on Fox 3 pre-fight presser, Dana White dropped a very interesting nugget to the media in attendance about UFC 146.

He was asked who in his opinion had the most to lose at UFC 146 and his answer may surprise you. It’s an interesting question as there are several fighters on the main card who may be on their last legs in the promotion. Even more interesting is his response.

“I’d probably have to say (Frank) Mir. Mir’s been in so many title fights and held it twice. Losing wouldn’t be too great for Big Country either. I think he’s 1-4 in his last five fights. So he needs a win too.”

Roy Nelson is probably expendable. He’s a former Ultimate Fighter but has failed to exceed any expectations. He’s continued to be unwilling to drop to light heavyweight.

Instead, he’s made jokes about his weight and continues to fight at heavyweight (h/t mmajunkie.com), even though Dana has stated in interviews he thinks that “Big Country” would be better suited at 205. The only thing that may keep Nelson on the roster is that he’s a fan favorite and always brings the fight.

I am surprised that White said that Mir has the most to lose at 146.

Mir is one of the UFC’s best known fighters and one of the few guys that is legitimately “home grown.” He’s been willing to step up in many situations and his stint on The Ultimate Fighter endeared him to fans. There’s also the fact that he’s the only fighter in MMA history to stop Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira twice.

In my mind, a loss to Junior Dos Santos wouldn’t end his career, as he’s still relatively young and has plenty more to offer the heavyweight division. He still has time to go on another run, and he’s always dangerous both standing and on the feet. I guess this is just a time when myself and the UFC president disagree.

Matthew Roth is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

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