‘King Mo’ Makes Bellator Debut on January 17

Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal

Muhammed Lawal Scheduled For Jan. 17 Bellator Debut

A date has been set for Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal's first fight under the Bellator Fighting Championships banner.

MMAjunkie.com reported on Monday that sources close to the event have scheduled Lawal to fight on a Bellator card planned for Thursday, Jan. 17, at the UCI Bren Events Center in Irvine, Calif. He will compete in the promotion's light heavyweight tournament.

"King Mo" last fought in January at "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine," losing to Lorenz Larkin via second round knockout. After the fight, Lawal tested positive for drostanolone, a banned steroid. The Nevada State Athletic Commission subsequently changed the win to a no-contest.

The NCAA Division I All-American wrestler was released from his Strikeforce contract after he made a controversial post on Twitter regarding NSAC commissioner Pat Lundvall. He later apologized for his remarks.

Lawal then inked a first-of-its-kind deal in May, signing a joint contract with Bellator and TNA Impact Wrestling.

Bellator is expected to hold its first Spike TV broadcast event on Jan. 10. Currently, Jan. 17 is the promotion's only 2013 event listed on Ticketmaster.com. Though not officially confirmed, the scheduled date ultimately proves the promotion plans to return to holding events on Thursdays.

Find out more Bellator news