Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal will headline Friday’s Bellator 169 card against former Olympic gold medalist Satoshi Ishii.
And despite being thousands of miles away from his base of operations in the U.S., the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion has developed a cult-like following.
“I’m shocked (by the support from the Irish fans),” said Lawal during a pre-fight press conference. “I came here to do PR last time and everyone was cool, but this time around it’s been even better. I went to Nandos (a restaurant) and got hooked up with like $70 worth of food. If y’all haven’t eaten at Nandos yet I suggest you try it out because that place is good.”
Lawal had his seven-fight win streak snapped by Phil Davis this past May. Davis went on to capture the light heavyweight title after the win.
For Lawal, the bout is a chance to shine on Spike from Dublin, but he just wants Ishii to “bring it” come fight-night.
“Don’t run around the cage. Fight me square, entertain the fans, and put on a good show,” he said. “All the people out there, ya’ll better tune in and watch me kick and beat Ishii’s (expletive) out the cage.”
