‘King Mo’ Lawal Has No Regrets About Not Fighting In UFC

“King Mo” Lawal has fought for just about every major promotion except the UFC — and he has no regrets about that.

Lawal last competed in a TKO defeat to Jiří Procházka at RIZIN 15 earlier this year. Representing Bellator, the defeat marked his third in a row by TKO with Lawal later announcing his retirement.

Though the 38-year-old mainly fought for Bellator throughout his career, he also competed under Strikeforce where he became the light heavyweight champion under their banner.

However, he never competed under the UFC — not that he has any regrets about it, as his main goal was making money:

“My goal was to come into MMA, make money, have a good time and just fight,” Lawal told MMA Junkie. “Some of these people that are fighting act like fans more than fighters. I’m sorry, man, I fight for money. I fought for money.

“I’m not going to be like, ‘I’ll fight these people for free just to be there.’ Hell to the no, never. But I’ve seen a lot of broke champions. Just because you’re fighting doesn’t mean you made it. You’ve got to make a name for yourself and get these W’s. There might be different paths, you know what I’m saying, but just get the W’s, have some fun, grow as a fighter and then go when you go. Don’t just chase something because everyone’s doing it or everybody wants to be there.”

Now retired, Lawal would consider a comeback solely to have one more fight under Bellator. And like he mentioned already, he needs to get paid well:

“The only thing that could bring me back is if I had a final farewell fight under the Bellator banner, because that’s my spot now,” Lawal added. “I love Japan, but Bellator is my home. If I could do it, I’d end my career with Bellator with Scott Coker. Find me the easiest fight I can get paid the most for.”

Would you have liked to have seen Lawal in the UFC?