Muhammed ‘King Mo’ Lawal Says He Nearly Died From 2012 Staph Infection

Muhammed ‘King Mo’ Lawall has had an up and down time in his recent MMA career; Since being cut by Strikeforce in 2012 for comments made on Twitter and a positive drug test after his KO win over Lorenz Larkin, Lawall has found a new home at Bellator. Mo’s debut was a KO win over Przemyslaw Mysiala at Bellator 86, but his parade was halted at Bellator 90.

Emmanuel Newton shocked fans by knocking ‘King Mo’ out in just under three minutes by spinning back fist, and two Lawall wins later saw Newton win a rematch by unanimous decision at Bellator 106. The toughest fight for Lawall in recent times has not taken place in a cage, according to his recent interview with MMAFighting:

“It almost killed me,” Lawal recalls. “I don’t explain it to people. I downplayed the whole thing. They didn’t know how bad it was. People would text me, and I was in the hospital texting them back like nothing happened. I battled back from it. It messed my body up. My body is still getting healthy from that.”

In case you don’t know, Mo is talking about a staph infection that he caught in early 2012. The nasty illness meant that Lawall only competed once in 2012 and the WIN against Larkin was changed to a no-contest after the aforementioned drug test failure.

“I think it’s a matter of time, because I’ve still got a few things screwed up with my blood and my red blood count was pretty bad, so now they’re filling me back up. I’ve got to take vitamin C, iron. I’m almost there, man. I’m almost back to where I need to be.”

Lawall’s weakened physical state may have played a role in his recent losses, but the fact that he has remained active since is a testament to his grit. So what are Mo’s plans for his immediate fighting future?

“Straight up, I’m going to win it, I’m going to get that belt, and then I’m going to do something that no one is expecting me to do. I’m not going to say it, but when I get this belt, everyone is going to see what I’m going to do. It’ll be good, too.”

Seemingly on the track back to full health, we may get to see Mo fulfil the potential that many fans once thought he would. Who knows whether he will ever fight in the UFC, but can Lawall come back from near death to become an all time great?