NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Bellator MMA fighter "King" Mo Lawal.

His next fight will be Friday, September 5, on the Bellator 123 card at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on the territory of the sovereign nation of the Mohegan Tribe.

Originally scheduled to face jiu-jitsu ace Tom DeBlass, his opponent was changed due to an injury suffered by DeBlass that caused him to withdraw from this fight. His new opponent in this light heavyweight bout will be Marcus Sursa, who had been a Texas state high school wrestling champion and has been fighting in MMA for several years.

We spoke with "King" Mo Lawal July 30 at a Bellator media day at Dave and Buster's in New York, before his new opponent had been named.

His last fight was the main event of the Bellator pay-per-view of May 17, 2014, when he lost a close and controversial three-round decision to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, in the Bellator season 10 light heavyweight tournament final.

Asked about that fight, he said, "I thought I won. Granted it wasn't a great performance, because if you watched the fight, I was slipping and sliding. I couldn't hold my footing. I don't know what it is with the canvas, but hopefully they change it. It altered my game plan, altered everything. Because leading up to the fight, they told me they were going to change the canvas and add more grip to it, and it never happened. So I had to stick to wrestling, and alter my game plan."

He added, "I think Bjorn had something to do with it, the decision. Who knows? But I'm glad he's gone. I'm glad we got Scott Coker in the mix." (Here he was referring to former Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney, who was replaced in June by new Bellator president Scott Coker.)

We also discussed his training at American Top Team; more on his views on Scott Coker; his discussions and training with Olympic gold medalist freestyle wrestler Kevin Jackson, who coached Mo at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and is now head wrestling coach at Iowa State; his training with many high level boxers; a little bit about what is going on today in pro boxing; and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at AmericanTopTeam.com.

The Liberty Bell Classic / King of Catch Wrestling Tournament, presented by the North American Catch Wrestling Association and Scientific Wrestling. In this tournament, you can only win by pin or submission, with no points. It all takes place Saturday, August 30, at Primal Gym, 231 Bakers Basin Road, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648. For more information, go to KingOfCatchWrestling.com.

Scientific Wrestling, igniting a revolution in grappling based on the pursuit of traditional Catch-As-Catch-Can wrestling. Our people are legitimate Scientific Wrestling practitioners united around training, competition, innovation, grueling physical conditioning, camaraderie, and the sharing of reliable resources. For more information, go to ScientificWrestling.com.

Snake Pit U.S.A., whose primary mission is to breathe new life into real catch-as-catch-can wrestling and help lead the catch wrestling revolution for martial artists and those pursuing recreational training and fitness alike. For more information, go to SnakePitUSA.com.

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, a catch wrestling promotion that works with the highest level catch wrestlers from around the world with the goal of reviving the great sport of catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance organizes catch wrestling sporting events, and its primary organizer is Dr. Raul Ramirez. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: Bellator, boxing, Eddie Goldman, King Mo Lawal, MMA, No Holds Barred, wrestling