When former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal met career journeyman Emmanuel Newton in the semifinals of the 2013 Bellator light heavyweight tournament back in February, he did so as an astonishing -1200 favorite. On that night, however, Newton shocked the MMA universe by dispatching the former Strikeforce champion with a stunning spinning backfist knockout early in the first round. Not only was it one of the bigger upsets in recent memory, it also marked the first promotional defeat for Bellator’s biggest free agent signing to that date. Surprisingly, for Lawal, a former Oklahoma State All-American, the upset was much easier to deal with than one might think. “With my amateur wrestling background, a loss is a loss,” Lawal told MMAWeekly.com. “It’s not like MMA is a greater sport than wrestling
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For King Mo Lawal, Heading into Wednesday’s Bellator 97, “It’s About the Belt” – MMA Weekly