MMA star Mo Lawal likely making TNA debut in October

Bellator light heavyweight Muhammed Lawal certainly isn’t the first Mixed Martial Artist to cross paths with professional wrestling. Former UFC stand-outs like Brock Lesnar and Ken Shamrock have had WWE careers, the Japanese scene has been doing it for years, and even WWE’s Alberto Del Rio used to fight professionally a number of years ago. However, Lawal is certainly the first in recent memory to simultaneously show of his skills at both on such a grand scale.

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney recently discussed Lawal’s future in TNA Impact Wrestling, as well as the Bellator cage, and was quick to praise his recently signed acquisition.

“He calls me once or twice a week to talk about what’s going on in Impact – he knows more about the history of Impact than probably most of the people that are currently in Impact,” said Rebney in an interview with MMAJunkie. “He’s awesome. Sometimes bad things happen for a reason.”

The outspoken 205er is currently recovering from a knee injury followed by a life-threatening infection. He was also cut from the Strikeforce roster where he previously held gold after labeling an athletic commission official as a “racist bitch”. The 31-year old has since apologized for his behavior.

Lawal Admits He Made Mistake, Ready to Move Forward

In terms of his immediate future, according to Rebney, Lawal could make his TNA debut as early as next month with his Bellator unveiling coming at the start of 2013 when the promotion joins TNA on Spike TV.

“Probably late October (for TNA), and then obviously he’ll do as much ‘Impact’ as he can until he has to get hyper-focused on his first fight for us, which will be right at the beginning of January,” explained Rebney.

“King Mo” is 8-1 in his MMA career with six strike-based stoppages and is a professional wrestling junkie. He was also a decorated amateur wrestler, adding another layer of legitimacy to his upcoming attempt at pulling double-duty.

PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE