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Mo Lawal Is the New King of Cross Promotion with Bellator/TNA Signing

Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal (8-1) is MMA’s man of the hour after signing a deal to join Bellator Fighting Championship and TNA Impact Wrestling.Thursday’s news couldn’t come at a better time for Lawal since the embattled Strikeforce veteran faced such a w…

Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal (8-1) is MMA’s man of the hour after signing a deal to join Bellator Fighting Championship and TNA Impact Wrestling.

Thursday’s news couldn’t come at a better time for Lawal since the embattled Strikeforce veteran faced such a whirlwind of endless drama in recent months. From serious knee surgery resulting in a life-threatening staph infection to a positive post-fight reading for Drostanolone to the controversy surrounding his calling a Nevada State Athletic Commissioner a “racist bitch,” Lawal seemed to be a negative news magnet for the MMA media lately.

Lawal suddenly changed from Zuffa’s goat into MMA’s golden goose as the word of his new cross-promotional contract spread. His journey from victim to victor might have been a painstaking one, but it certainly appears to be paying off right now.

The first hint of any writing on the wall leading to Lawal’s ultimate exit from Zuffa may have come when he compared Strikeforce to a dying cancer patient last year.

“It feels a little weird, because it’s not the same,” Lawal said in the wake of Zuffa, LLC’s formal announcement, proclaiming their acquisition of Strikeforce. “It’s like a cancer patient, like a dying cancer patient. That’s how I feel like the organization is. We’re just waiting for it to die, to pass. As long as I can get my fights in and they’re still around, I want to get them in.”

Zuffa didn’t pull the trigger on firing Lawal until March 27th of this year, perhaps due to Zuffa President and part-owner Dana White staying out of the fray and allowing Scott Coker to maintain a “business as usual” approach to running Strikeforce.

The tweet that broke the camel’s back for White resulted in profuse apologies from Lawal for the misunderstanding with the commissioner, but all to no avail. Bantamweight UFC Fighter Miguel Torres found himself in Lawal’s shoes last December after his own controversial tweet got him fired. The league hired Torres back after listening to his sincere apologies, but Lawal didn’t get anywhere near the same treatment. As a Strikeforce fighter, perhaps Lawal was more expendable than Torres.

Bellator appeared to be the most likely landing point for Lawal after Zuffa gave him his walking papers, but not many experts could have predicted a wrestling contract on top of a new MMA home for King Mo. For any MMA fighter with a background in wrestling, Lawal’s contract is intriguing and exciting. The unique arrangement is also bound to gain a tremendous amount of free press due to the novelty of such a deal and Viacom’s position to make it.

Lawal shouldn’t take long to get up to speed on professional wrestling. He was a three-time U.S. Senior National Wrestling Champion at the University of Central Oklahoma and won the NCAA division II national championship in 2002, compiling an overall college record of 103-22. Though many might argue that pro wrestling is not a sport, this contract sort of makes Lawal the Bo Jackson of combat sports.

As far as Lawal is concerned, distance from Strikeforce does not make the heart grow fonder. Now situated in a strong position to bark back at his old bosses, Lawal let loose Thursday night on MMA Uncensored Live. The show is hosted on Spike TV, a station which is quickly turning into an anti-UFC platform.

Bellator and Spike TV Parent Viacom recently struck up a partnership giving the media giant a direct stake in the tournament-based fight league. Spike, the channel that launched “The Ultimate Fighter” for the UFC, will spend 2013 re-branding itself with the Bellator banner once their rights to rebroadcast UFC content expire at the end of this year.

TNA Impact Wrestling is also a Spike TV production.

During his leadoff appearance on MMA Uncensored Live, Lawal compared working for Zuffa to being out in the hot sun all day “begging for water” and added later that the company often treats fighters like numbers. He contrasted his relationship with Bellator and TNA by saying that it’s like working in air conditioning. Lawal also said his new employers are “more personable” than their Zuffa counterparts.

This move comes on the heels of the UFC snatching Hector Lombard (31-2) away from Bellator at the end of April, leaving the league without their middleweight champion.

The bold Lawal signing smacks of smart business sense, revenge, and perhaps even a hint directed to Alistair Overeem—sign with Bellator and you can wrestle out your MMA suspension with TNA. Viacom is not taking competition with the UFC lightly, and this could be the start of a chain reaction of similar signings their Zuffa colleagues can’t match or beat. Zuffa is notorious for not allowing participants in the league to fight elsewhere or compete in any other formal sport. Strikeforce fighters are grandfathered in to an extent, but that league is no longer a direct competitor of the UFC. Bellator is.

There are countless Zuffa fighters who might find a dual wrestling/MMA contract attractive from a financial perspective. This is not to mention all the other concrete and undocumented perks that such a deal would naturally provide. Though not all MMA fighters have significant wrestling backgrounds, there’s not many who don’t train in wrestling to stay up to par in the sport. This deal doesn’t just turn the heads of former high school and college wrestlers, it lays down the gauntlet for Zuffa and says “eat this.” The WWE is also a Viacom competitor, so this move and potential follow up signings like it mean Vince McMahon will have to stay on his toes as well.

Maybe even more important than the carrot this deal dangles in front of potential future dual-contract signers from other MMA leagues is the broader meaning of Mo’s signing—You can stay with Zuffa and be chastised for speaking out, or you can sign with the competition and be amply rewarded for being loud and proud.

Lawal will reportedly begin wrestling for TNA sometime before his current nine-month MMA suspension expires, clearing him to fight for Bellator. TNA Wrestling was founded in 2002 and airs programming every Thursday on Spike TV.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

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.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal Signs With Bellator and TNA Wrestling

(Like this, Stone Cold?)

MMA Weekly is reporting that former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal has signed with MMA promotion Bellator Fighting Championships and professional wrestling organization Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Lawal was fired from Strikeforce after testing positive for a banned steroid and is currently serving out a nine-month suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Because of that suspension, Lawal will have to wait to be able to compete under the Bellator banner — but since he’s also signed with TNA, he can conceivably begin making some money much sooner since professional wrestling is not regulated as a competitive sport by athletic commissions. Lawal signing with both organizations fuels rumors that Bellator and TNA — both of which air on Viacom-owned television channels and, starting in 2013, will appear on Spike TV — will somehow collaborate or cross-promote.

(Like this, Stone Cold?)

If you’ve watched MMA for any length of time, you’ve probably met at least one idiotic person who claims that the sport is “fake” like pro wrestling, meaning that the results are pre-determined. While we can’t begrudge King Mo for paying his bills in any honest way that he can, if Bellator and TNA do start mixing narratives and roster members, it could confuse viewers and set back the credibility of MMA as a sport.

Many American fighters have delved into professional wrestling for extended periods of time, including Josh Barnett, Ken Shamrock, Mark Coleman, and Bob Sapp. But Lawal’s experiment might end up being the biggest balancing act of the two that any fighter has yet attempted in the U.S.

For now, that’s all speculation. We’ll bring you more as the story develops. As it stands, we just know that King Mo is back on his feet with a j-o-b.

–Elias Cepeda

King Mo Lawal’s Dual Bellator/TNA Signing Is a Landmark Deal

If you’ve been hiding under a rock on this fine Thursday morning, you likely missed this news (which I received via email bright and early this morning):
WHAT: Media Conference Call hosted by Spike TV to announce major talent deal involving Bellator Fi…

If you’ve been hiding under a rock on this fine Thursday morning, you likely missed this news (which I received via email bright and early this morning):

WHAT: Media Conference Call hosted by Spike TV to announce major talent deal involving Bellator Fighting Championships and TNA Wrestling

WHO: Kevin Kay, President Spike TV
Bjorn Rebney, Chairman and CEO, Bellator Fighting Championships
Dixie Carter, President, TNA Entertainment

WHEN: Thursday, May 10 at 2:00 p.m. ET/11:00 a.m. PT

What could Bellator and TNA Wrestling—both of whom are owned by media giant Viacom—possibly be announcing during a joint conference call?

No, we’re not going to find out that Kurt Angle has finally, for real this time, decided to try his hand at mixed martial arts after five years of coming up with amazing excuses as to why he couldn’t actually do it.

The story is this: Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal has signed a dual contract with Bellator and TNA.

Lawal’s deal with Viacom was actually signed three weeks ago, but Zuffa retained matching rights to any new contract offers Lawal received despite firing him.

What does this news mean? How does it impact mixed martial artists going forward?

In truth, this deal won’t have much of a lasting impact on MMA. The number of legitimate mixed martial artists who want to try their hand at pro wrestling is very small. Lawal was a huge fan of professional wrestling growing up and always wanted to try his hand at the pseudo-sport, but there was never any chance of that happening while under contract to Zuffa.

With Bellator, things are different. They’re both under the same corporate umbrella, which means there’s an opportunity for cross-promotion. The UFC was also under that same corporate umbrella, at least in terms of television deals, but Dana White makes it a personal point not to have his product confused with pro wrestling.

Bjorn Rebney has no such qualms. In fact, I’d say that he’s welcoming those confusions, at least judging from this news. It’s a smart move for Bellator. They need all the exposure they can get, and if TNA and their meager 1.2-1.6 million viewers each week can help them get the eyeballs they need, then more power to them.

Lawal cannot fight until the fall due to his drug failure suspension from earlier this year, so expect to see plenty of him in a pro-wrestling ring this summer.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Eddie Alvarez and 5 Other Bellator Fighters Who Should Be in the UFC

With Bellator Middleweight champion Hector Lombard having jumped ship to the UFC and seemingly only one win away from a UFC title shot, Bellator is now being looked at for more talent who could make it in the big show.Hot on the heels of Lombard in mov…

Hot on the heels of Lombard in moving over is former lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez, who was spotted sitting next to Dana White during UFC on FOX 3: Diaz vs Miller. Alvarez’ Bellator contract is seemingly expired, and he looks very likely to be announced in the not-so-distant future with a fight with Anthony Pettis apparently in the works.

Alvarez has a 23-3 record (with 20 stoppage wins) with wins over guys like Shinya Aoki, Pat Curran and Roger Huerta. Eddie has been considered for a long time to be among the top 10 lightweights in the world.

So with Bellator finally being recognised for their talent pool, it is only a matter of time before more of their stars make the transition to the UFC.

Here are my top five Bellator stars who should be next.

Begin Slideshow

Hippies Rejoice: Vermont Becomes 46th State to Regulate Mixed Martial Arts

“Whoooooaaaa…says here this thing is a ‘Rousimar Palhares’. We’re already legally dead.”

Yesterday, while you were making terrible Star Wars jokes and/or mourning the death of MCA, lawmakers in “The Green Mountain State” were busy passing a bill to regulate the sport of mixed martial arts. Vermont is now the 46th state in the United States to regulate our sport.

My initial reaction to this news was probably the same as yours: “That’s nice.” Our second reactions were probably also pretty similiar: Damn, New York. You let the state known for its organic-granola crunching, Birkenstock wearing hippies regulate MMA before you did. Get your shit together. For real this time.

Granted, everything I know about Vermont I’ve learned from pints of Ben & Jerry’s. So let’s read the press release that the UFC issued:

“Vermont’s legislation of the sport of MMA is further evidence of the continued growth and success of our sport in this country,” said UFC Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta. “We are pleased that fans in Vermont will now have the opportunity to watch a live UFC event in their own backyard, and look forward to making that happen.”

“Whoooooaaaa…says here this thing is a ‘Rousimar Palhares‘. We’re already legally dead.”

My initial reaction to this news was probably the same as yours: Vermont isn’t exactly the biggest state in the union, but it’s always great to see a state start regulating MMA. Our second reactions were probably also pretty similiar: Damn, New York. You let the state known for its organic-granola crunching, Birkenstock wearing hippies regulate MMA before you did. Get your shit together. For real this time.

Granted, everything I know about Vermont I’ve learned from pints of Ben & Jerry’s. So let’s read the press release that the UFC issued:

You have to appreciate the optimism, but where exactly will a live UFC event be held in the state of Vermont? Vermont’s most prestigious professional sports team is a Single A baseball team called the Vermont Lake Monsters. Vermont’s biggest stadium, Centennial Field, holds 5,000 people. It’s largest indoor arena, Gutterson Fieldhouse, barely holds 4,000 people. Even the smallest, least interesting UFC cards should expect more than 4,000 people.

I’m personally thinking that Bellator is far more likely to visit Vermont before the UFC does, but I’ve been wrong before.

Of the 48 states with the necessary regulatory bodies to oversee mixed martial arts (I’m not surprised, Alaska and Montana, but I am still very disappointed), only New York and Connecticut do not currently regulate MMA. You’re back on the clock, New York. Try not to screw up this time.