BRISTOL, Conn.—Mixed-martial artist Muhammed Lawal, who dabbles in professional wrestling, believes professional wrestler CM Punk, now dabbling in mixed-martial arts, will succeed in his transition to the UFC.
“I think he’s going to do good,” King Mo told Breitbart Sports. “He has a passion for it. He loves it. He’s willing to learn. He’s taking his lumps and he’s taking his bumps. He’s open, he’s open-minded. That’s the main thing.”
King Mo says he has exchanged texts with his fellow professional wrestler since he made the startling announcement about his career shift.
King Mo’s opinion contrasts with those of several other mixed-martial artists who spoke to Breitbart Sports. “Even the worst kid on the Ultimate Fighter show I honestly think would beat him,” UFC welterweight John Howard told Breitbart Sports last month. Doomsday enthusiastically expressed interest in a potential pairing with CM Punk, boasting: “I’ll barely train for that.”
King Mo further turned conventional wisdom on its head by dubbing it easier for a professional wrestler to make it as a cage fighter than the reverse. “I think the hard transition is going from MMA to pro wrestling,” the Bellator fighter confessed. “That’s harder.” He cited the bumps, ring psychology, and the flow of the match as aspects of professional wrestling difficult for newcomers to master. “It’s not easy.”
King Mo, who calls himself a competitor in the “moneyweight” division of MMA, takes on the glaringly larger Cheick Kongo in a heavyweight matchup at Bellator 134 at Mohegan Sun casino Friday night in a card airing on Spike TV. The professional wrestler figures to rely on his real wrestling pedigree to attempt to reduce the size differential by putting the French striker on his back.
After signing a two-fight contract with the UFC, CM Punk said he would make his MMA debut, likely as a middleweight, sometime in 2015.
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