"I fight once on the 29th and then on the 31st, I fight twice; the semifinals and the finals in one day. It's weird because you fight once and then after that, you have the rest of the tournament two days later...I watched a few of his fights and he's never fought someone like me, so I feel like there should be some openings and we will see. I'm not going to force nothing. I have to see what's there and see what happens," stated Bellator light heavyweight King Mo Lawal, who talked about his upcoming fights in the RIZIN tournament. Check it out!
PC: I'm sure you are all healed up from your rib injury. How does it feel?
KM: I'm healed, man. I ain't do nothing for 6 ½ weeks; got back to training awhile ago, so I'm good. My rib is good and I'm ready to go.
PC: Were you still injured when they presented this fight to you or were you already better?
KM: By the time they offered me the fight, I was haled. They offered it to me about 7 weeks after. I was healthy and sparring with Junior Dos Santos already and another cat at the gym.
PC: A lot of good fighters call American Top Team their home now. What has the work been like over there?
KM: It's been good. We have a lot of bodies there now. You can get good grappling, good Jiu Jitsu, good wrestling and good boxing; kickboxing. We got everything we need, man. We got a guy flew in from Holland for a few weeks. We got some boys from Sweden that are here now training, so we have a bunch of fighters, man. It's a revolving door of talented fighters in there.
PC: I know you fight once the first night and I believe twice the next day. Break down the format of this tournament?
KM: The first day, I fight once on the 29th and then on the 31st, I fight twice; the semifinals and the finals in one day. It's weird because you fight once and then after that, you have the rest of the tournament two days later.
PC: Being that you just came out of a similar tournament style format and you won, but you couldn't continue due to injury, does that change your approach or are you chalking the rib injury up as a freak accident?
KM: I gotta be smarter and be more solid because I injured myself doing something that I normally do, but I should have just got a normal takedown instead of trying to do something big. I just have to make sure everything that I am doing is high percentage and smart.
PC: Explain the way the rounds are!
KM: The first round is 10 minutes and then the second round is five.
PC: How has it been training for a 10-minute round?
KM: I actually like it. If you have ring savvy and a high fight IQ, you can kind of control how the 10 minutes go.
PC: When you are fighting for that long in one stanza, you definitely can't afford to have any mental lapses.
KM: Nah, you gotta be smart and on top of your game. You gotta be in control the whole time or you can get clipped.
PC: Brett McDermott is the guy you drew in the first round. He is a big guy. Do you know a lot about him?
KM: I just know he's big, strong, and from England. He's a rugged guy. That's all I really know about him. I don't really know nothing else.
PC: He's never been knocked out and you bring heavy hands with you. Is that a goal, to be the first to knock him out, or is it all about just getting the win and advancing?
KM: I don't know. I watched a few of his fights and he's never fought someone like me, so I feel like there should be some openings and we will see. I'm not going to force nothing. I have to see what's there and see what happens.
PC: He has some good power and a lot of big guys like that carry their power early. Would you like to take him into the deep waters?
KM: I feel like I can do both. I think I can press him early or take him into the deep waters. I think I have enough speed, length, and savvy to keep him off balance.
PC: A lot of organizations came together to make this tournament happen and New Year's Eve cards always provide entertainment. What is it like to be a part of something like this?
KM: So far, it's cool, man. I hope it takes off and does good so it can get the MMA scene jumping out there in Japan.
PC: Does this bring you back to your start and your Sengoku days fighting in Japan?
KM: Yeah it does, man. It feels like it's a reunion. I've been training hard and hopefully I can put on a good show for these fans.
PC: Obviously the culture is different, but approaching a fight, what is the biggest difference fighting in Japan as opposed to in the States?
KM: The time period and the rules, because you could knee a downed opponent in the head, but there are no elbows, you can't wear Vaseline in the cage, soccer kicks and stomps to a downed opponent are legal, and the respect from the fans. You don't hear any boos. When you're fighting, they stay quiet so you can hear everything. It's just more respect for the fighters from the fans.
PC: Have you looked at the landscape of the guys you could possibly face or is it all about McDermott right now?
KM: I look, man, but not too deep. I just kind of get an idea of what everybody does. I don't know what's going to happen in the tournament to plan ahead because anything can happen; injuries or whatever. You never know what can happen, so I just look at everybody's strong points and that's about it.
PC: Fedor is also on the RIZIN card. At this point in his career, do you think fans and media should just enjoy him while he's still around? Is it one of those situations where he's given us so much, you just take what you can get from him and not worry about who is going to be across from him?
KM: Man, look, these motherfuckers that are complaining is stupid. You know why? Because Fedor is fighting on Spike TV for free. Ain't nobody asking them to pay for the fight. You ain't gotta go to Japan to watch it. It's free on Spike TV. Fedor went undefeated for 10 years plus. If he wants to fight a bum, let him! If he wants to fight a championship caliber fighter, let him! It's entertainment. These motherfuckers want to see people get knocked out, so go watch someone get knocked out. They ain't worried about who Fedor is fighting. If Fedor fought a championship caliber fighter and it was a boring fight, they would be, "Fedor won, but he wasn't really impressive." They want to see knockouts, so you know what, let Fedor go knock out whoever they put in front of him. Who cares who is in front of him, just go watch it and support it because they are giving it to you.
PC: I wish you the best of luck. We will talk when you get back. Is there anything else you want to add before I let you go?
KM: Tune in to watch the fights free on Spike TV, man!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]