Last night, Bellator announced that Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal would welcome former UFC light-heavyweight title contender Ryan Bader to the promotion. The pair are set to fight on the Bellator 180 card, which takes place June 24 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
This news was announced immediately following “King Mo’s” unanimous decision victory over bitter rival Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at last night’s Bellator 175. This victory saw “King Mo” avenge a loss which dates back to Bellator 120 in May 2014, a decision which many spectators and Lawal himself saw as controversial. It was not the most exciting of bouts, but Lawal simply outworked his opponent to grind out a victory, and bounce back from his KO loss to Mirko Cro Cop under the Rizin FF banner in December.
Bader will fight “King Mo” in a light-heavyweight bout at Bellator 180 which will see him make his promotional debut. Previously Bader had shown a desire to fight current Bellator Light Heavyweight champion Phil Davis, who he already holds a win over, however the temptation to fight on Bellator’s debut in New York proved too much.
“I came to fight for the title, but I’m gonna make an exception for King Mo, I want to fight at Madison Square Garden, let’s get it baby,” said Bader when he was brought into the cage to meet face-to-face with Lawal moments after the latter’s victory.
Earlier this month Bader, 33 signed a multi-fight deal after an eight-year stint with the UFC. Despite never claiming UFC gold, “Darth” is one of the very best 205-pound fighters in the world. If he successfully defeats a big star in Lawal on a stage like NYC, Bader will no doubt get the showdown with current champion Phil Davis before the end of the year.
