rmer Strikeforce middleweight light heavyweight champion Muhammed Lawal, more affectionately known as 'King' Mo, once pledged to compete at 'moneyweight'. As 2015 rolls around, the Bellator light heavyweight now has his sights set on heavyweight as he'll face UFC veteran Cheick Kongo.
The news was made official by Bellator President Scott Coker with Ariel Helwani on Tuesday's The MMA Hour.
"We're going to put on a big superfight and it's something this person's been asking me for a long time to move up in weight and try out the heavyweight division. I said, 'Ok, this might be a great time and let's get it on'. King Mo is going to step up to heavyweight and he's going to fight Cheick Kongo in a superfight on the 27th at the Mohegan Sun," Coker told Helwani.
"This is something he's been asking me for probably the last five months. He'd say, 'Hey, I want to go up to heavyweight. I want to fight there'. He said eventually he wants to drop to 185 [pounds]...He said, 'I can beat anyone in the heavyweight division. I can beat anyone in the 185-pound weight class.' He feels he could be the complete fighter at 205, heavyweight and 185.
"He said if it ever came up, he'd love to fight Cheick Kongo. I said, 'Here you go. Let's get it on.'"
Coker did not specify whether the move to heavyweight signaled a desire by Lawal to pursue that division's belt. Instead, the Bellator head said everything is conditional at the moment.
"Let's just see what happens with the fight," Coker noted. "This is something that caught Cheick Kongo a little off guard, too. He kept asking us, 'Are you sure this is a heavyweight division fight?' He didn't believe Mo wanted to come up.
"I'm going to take a look at the fight and see how it goes for King Mo and if he performs well, we'll give him some more heavyweight fights if he wants them."
http://www.mmafighting.com/2015/1/20/7861761/king-mo-lawal-vs-cheick-kongo-set-for-bellator-134