Last night Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal showed why he was a rising star in MMA after an almost complete domination against former Strikeforce Champ Gegard Mousasi.

Mousasi, known for his power, was never able to fully get his offense started.  King Mo always answered Mousasi’s stand up with amazing wrestling takedowns.  Although Mousasi was able to land some punches from his back, it was King Mo who was able to dominate more from the ground.

Lawal did take some damage as an accidental eye poke forced his eye shut.  Lawal said he had dealt with eye pokes on more then one occasion and fought through it. While it may not have been a masterpiece, Lawal should get credit for his game planning and the way in which he stayed out of danger. Though he likes to show his flashy side, Lawal is a true student of the game who studies fight tapes religiously and understood what type of fight was going to favor him.

“I knew I had to grind him out,” he said later. “I had to make it ugly.”