In the world of MMA, the UFC is home to a great majority of the top ranked fighters in the sport. At Light Heavyweight, almost all the top fighters are under the UFC banner except for Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal and Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis. These two wrestling standouts are set to square off at Bellator 154 on May 14th 2016.
Bellator 154: Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal vs. Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis is the best light heavyweight fight outside of the UFC
Riding a seven-fight winning streak and fresh off his championship run through the Rizin FF Heavyweight Grand Prix, Lawal is looking to solidify his legacy as one of the top light heavyweights of all time.
As a perennial contender for Bellator’s Light Heavyweight championship (currently being held by Liam McGeary), “King Mo” seems poised to make that jump as the undisputed #1 Contender for that title.
Lawal is a particularly intriguing fighter for a number of reasons such as his outspoken personality, his memorable entrances and his willingness to move up and take on bouts at heavyweight where he has an undefeated record.
In a recent media scrum, Lawal told MMAFighting.com that should he win his fight against Davis at Bellator 154,”King Mo” has his eyes set on moving up to heavyweight once again, taking on Bellator Heavyweight Champion Vitaly Minakov and eventually becoming a two-division champion.
Given Lawal’s tremendous success at heavyweight throughout his career, that presents a very interesting and marketable scenario for Bellator.
However, in order for “King Mo’s” plans to come together, Lawal must overcome what could arguably be his toughest bout against former top ranked UFC contender Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis.
Since his departure from the UFC, Phil Davis has shown that he is still a force at 205lbs.
Upon entering the promotion, Davis won the Bellator Light Heavyweight Grand Prix Championship back in September where “Mr. Wonderful” finished both former UFC fighter Francis Carmont and former Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Emanuel Newton in the first round and in the same night.
At Bellator 154, both Davis and Lawal are fighting with a lot at stake.
For Lawal, he will be looking to silence those critics that questioned on whether or not he is to be considered a “UFC calibre” fighter as well as set in motion his quest to become Bellator’s next two-division champion. For Davis, he will be looking to take one step closer to becoming a world champion.
Despite a title not being on the line, this is a fight with major implications that neither fighter can afford to lose.
