Issue 047
March 2009
He’s probably the most famous fighter you’ve never heard of. A reluctant celebrity, Mohammed Lawal is a highly-decorated former amateur wrestler who made his MMA debut in September 2008. Photojournalist Esther Lin followed Mo throughout a pivotal day in his life: his 4th January fight against Yukiya Naito.
With three fights (and three wins) now under his belt, Mo trains with the likes of Dan Henderson at Team Quest, in California. Fighting on the Japanese event Sengoku, the man billed by the promoters as ‘King Mo’ has proved a massive hit with the fans thanks to his hard-hitting and explosive style of fighting.
Mo is a humble and unassuming sort. A dedicated athlete who only just missed out on representing his country in the Olympics, he decided to focus his energy on training in MMA. His training partners have marked him out as a real candidate for future stardom, and at the rate at which his career is progressing this could well come true. The only issue is that MMA fans outside of Japan have little idea of who he is.
1 Mo is a former NCAA Division II wrestling champion and a Division I All-American. After his collegiate wrestling career, Lawal competed in and won, the (now defunct) Real Pro Wrestling, a made-for-TV league with rules that closely resembled freestyle wrestling. The number-one ranked wrestler in the US for two years, Mo failed to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics by the smallest of margins. Since then he has devoted his time to training in MMA with the world-class fighters at Team Quest. He made his MMA debut for the Japanese World Victory Road promotion, on their Sengoku 5 event, by scoring a quick TKO win over the tough Travis Wiuff. Lawal followed that with another TKO victory over Brazilian Fabio Silva.
2 Training a couple of days out from the fight in a banquet room at the hotel.
3 The pre-fight press conference.
4 The ride to Saitama Super Arena. “Because all the fighters are in the opening ceremony, they have to arrive to the arena very early,” says Esther. “In this picture, Mo is on the bus at 11am even though his fight won’t be until 6pm.”
5 Making his way through the arena to his dressing room.
6 The media followed Mo around from the moment he stepped off the bus. “They had a camera on him every second. The woman is shooting for mobile-phone content.”
7 The ringside seating in the empty arena, prior to the event. Unfortunately, they’re not marked out for us! The promoters invite famous fighters to attend their events and place them at ringside for the TV cameras.
8 Mo catching a quick afternoon nap before the show.
9 “Mo always eats hot buckwheat noodles, or soba, before his fights in Japan,” says Esther. “He leaves Saitama Arena before the show, walks over to the soba house in the adjacent shopping centre, and has one or two bowls. This time one, but usually two bowls covered in extra seaweed and veggies.”
10 Checking out the buffet laid on for the fighters backstage, Mo bumped into the Nigerian comedian / fighter Bobby Olugun. Olugun is a TV celebrity in Japan, known for his self-deprecating comedy, and has fought in both MMA and K-1. “Mo’s mother is from Nigeria as well; they spoke a bit about that.” says Esther. Olugun’s younger brother, Andy, fought only days before on K-1, winning by first-round TKO.
11 Waiting for the ring check. To Mo’s right is the famous judoka / MMA fighter Hidehiko Yoshida.
12 Mo’s locker with his cape and crown, part of his pre-fight costume. The Japanese promoters decided ‘Lawal’ was difficult for fans and announcers to pronounce, so nicknamed him King Mo. The costume came as a result of the promoters wanting to build a recognisable star who the public could latch onto.
13 Getting prepped for his fight. Mo gets his hand wraps approved by an official. While wrapping his hands, Mo and his team were talking about their favourite Japanese fighters and why they like them. “I get so absorbed in shooting sometimes, I forget to listen,” says Esther. “But while getting wrapped, Mo discussed his favourite fighters. He loves the guys that put on a good show.”
14 “The lobby of the arena was filled with fighter cut-outs,” says Esther. Here a fan poses for a photo with a life-size cut-out of Mo.
15 Mo’s gumshield bears the slogan ‘GDP’, which stands for ‘Gettin’ Dat Paper’, a hip-hop expression meaning to earn money.
16 Kazuhiro Nakamura stops by to say good luck as chiropractor Ken Yamamoto gets Mo ready. “Ken was both the physical therapist and kind of a guide, helping Mo out with ordering food and where to eat,” says Esther.
17 Warming up by working the pads with teammate Ryo Chonan.
18 Trainer Ryan Parsons helping Mo out by fastening his cape, moments prior to Mo’s big entrance.
19 Rehearsing his walk out to the ring with his team of dancers. “That rehearsal took place literally two minutes before he walked out,” says Esther. “He even drew out how he wanted the girls to stand. They collaborated a little and, maybe, it takes his mind off the fight.”
20 The big entrance. With his crown, cape, Burberry umbrella, six dancers, and five-minute ring entrance, you’d think Mo is a larger-than-life character, but Esther found him to be quite the opposite. “He’s actually quite humble, despite the crazy walkout stuff. When the girls kissed him and jumped on him, he got embarrassed and said, ‘You girls are wild!’”
21 The right hand that led to the finish. Though Mo is a decorated former wrestler, he has amazing footwork and is very explosive. His powerful right hand has stunned all of his opponents.
22 Being congratulated by fans after TKO’ing Naito in the first round. “Mo says he always looks for a kid to give the crown to,” says Esther. “He was a bit worried because as he was leaving he didn’t see any small children, so he gave it to a teenager instead.”
23 “Afterwards, the girls hung out in his locker room and he signed postcards for them,” says Esther. “He spelled one of the girl’s names wrong and, in Japanese, the wrong spelling meant ‘fish eggs’, which made her laugh. She wanted to keep the error because it was funny.”
24 On the bus home. The Saitama Super Arena is a 45-minute drive from central Tokyo. “Mo doesn’t celebrate his wins,” says Esther. “The win is the celebration. After this, he ate and went to bed. Immediately after the fight, Ryan and Mo sat in the locker room discussing errors, and even on the bus they talked about mistakes that Mo had made. It’s kind of interesting to know that his first pro fight was only on 27th September. He’s a very new fighter.”
