Officially, Muhammed Lawal made his North American MMA debut on Friday night, but after defeating Mark Kerr in just 25 seconds via ground and pound at M-1 Global: Breakthrough, it's safe to say that we don't know much more about his potential as a fighter.Regardless, "King Mo" improved his professional record to 5-0 as quickly as most expected him to do so, and hardly broke a sweat along the way.
Lawal opened the bout by catching a right leg kick from Kerr and took him down immediately. Kerr quickly turned into a turtle position while Lawal began connecting with right hands as Kerr laid face down on the canvas. The referee stopped the bout after Lawal landed several clear shots to Kerr's face.
"I just come out and fight, man," Lawal told HDNet's Ron Kruck in the post-fight interview. "I ain't Miss Cleo; I cant predict none. But the victory was good."
Kerr, who agreed to the fight on short notice after Don Frye pulled out, entered the bout riding a four-fight losing streak and having lost 9 of his last 11 fights. While he appeared to be in better shape than some of his previous bouts, this one-sided loss officially convinced HDNet Fights' color commentator Guy Mezger that it's time for "The Smashing Machine" to hang up his gloves for good.
"I would strongly suggest Mark find another vocation," Mezger said.
After the fight, Kerr took some time to get up, and there was some question as to whether he injured his shoulder on the single leg takedown. No update was given on his condition.
Lawal, who is considered to be one of the most attractive free agents in MMA due to his colorful personality and raw skills, didn't say when and where he would be fighting next.
"I'm just trying to go where they keep me busy ... pay good and fight a lot."
On this week's edition of The MMA Hour, Lawal predicted that he would be fighting in either the UFC or Strikeforce in 2010. He hinted at competing next month for either DREAM or Sengoku, however, only Sengoku has a show planned for September. Lawal's previous four fights were in Sengoku.
Unfortunately, the former Oklahoma State University All-American wrestler didn't pull off the Alex Wright dance or the Norman Smiley wiggle as predicted on the show.
In other action, two of Strikeforce's biggest stars, Fedor Emelianenko and Gegard Mousasi, engaged in an exhibition match, which was intended to be nothing more than a showcase of M-1 Global's prized possessions. Emelianenko ultimately won via armbar.
Below are the full results from Kansas City, Mo.:
Muhammed Lawal (5-0) def. Mark Kerr (15-11, 1 NC) via TKO (Punches) at 0:25 of Round 1
Karl Amoussou (11-2-1) def. John Doyle (8-9, 1 NC) via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:15 of Round 1
Lucio Linhares (13-4) def. Mikhail Zayats (9-4) via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 1:00 of Round 1
Jessie Gibbs (9-2) def. Rob Broughton (10-5-1) via Unanimous Decision
Michael Kita (6-3) def. Lloyd "Kadillac" Marshbanks (18-9) via Submission (Strikes) at 1:50 of Round 1
Daisuke Nakamura (20-10) def. Ferrid "The Hurricane" Kheder (13-5) via Unanimous Decision
Alexey Oleinik (24-4-1) drew with Rogent Lloret (7-1-1, 1 NC)
Eric Marriott (14-0) vs. Tim Bazer (9-7) via Unanimous Decision
Sean "P-Town" Wilson (20-10) vs. Josh Arocho (3-7) via KO at 3:05 of Round 1
Rudy Bears (10-3) def. Brendan Seguin (17-16-1) via TKO (Punches) at 1:01 of Round 2
Mollie Ahlers-Estes (1-0) def. Andria Caplan (0-1) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 3:00 of Round 1
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