All Hail ‘King Mo’ Lawal

Welcome to the era of ‘King Mo” Lawal. The charismatic, 28-year old powerhouse put on an excellent display of his fighting prowess last night without even breaking a sweat.

Giving up almost 50 pounds to Mike Whitehead, as well as a ton of experience, Lawal showed the skills that will make him one of the sport’s elite in 2010.

It is in his best interest to fight as a light heavyweight, but as he said last night, he is willing to fight where the money is.

Combining world-class wrestling skills with superior speed and strength, Lawal will be a tough match-up for anyone at any weight class.

Bursting onto the scene with a dramatic first-round knockout victory over well-seasoned veteran Travis Wiuff, it was very apparent back then where this man was headed.

He has been brought along slowly with carefully chosen opponents, and if he is content with climbing the ladder at his current pace, he could be wearing gold sooner rather than later.

Lawal’s mind is already on Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi, but he and the organization would best be served if he were to take on some tougher opponents.

While Strikeforce’s light heavyweights aren’t in the same league with the UFC’s, they do have a few fighters who would help raise Lawal’s stock, in and out of the cage.

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou is a name that fans recognize and would be a good measure of how good Lawal’s striking is.

Kevin Randleman is a guy who has been in the cage with some of the best, while he is nowhere near the fighter he once was, it wouldn’t hurt King Mo’s stock to have a victory over “The Monster.”

If Strikeforce is really looking to set up a Mousasi-Lawal title bout in 2010, then why not match him up against former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Renato “Babalu” Sobral?

I truly see Lawal as one of the brightest stars of the future. He is charismatic, talented and does not lack in self-confidence.

He reminds me of a young Quinton “Rampage” Jackson: a dynamic wrestler and powerful striker who can talk as good as he fights.

He is the type of star that Strikeforce can ride into the future.