King Mo at Strikeforce press conference. Photo: Esther Lin
Strikeforce sets up shop in Houston this Saturday with two belts on the line. Beyond Ronaldo Jacaré facing Tim Kennedy for the vacant middleweight belt, current champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal defends his light heavyweight title against Rafael Feijão.
Rafael Feijão in photo by Esther Lin
Undefeated with seven wins, the reigning champion chose to pass the responsibility off to his opponent, at the press conference that took place this Wednesday in Houston.
“Feijão is a tough guy who’s been around awhile. He’s experienced and I’m new to this game. He’s a veteran and is hungry. That’s why I’m the underdog,” he commented.
“Champions always have something to prove. I believe anyone who sets foot in the cage has something to prove. I feel that in MMA everyone’s an underdog because they have to win. Feijão has a heavy hand, Brazilians come to fight. I respect him, I have no problem with him. We’re going to have fun this Saturday.
Feijão is coming off two wins in the division and knows getting the belt will be no easy talk.
“I trained really hard. I saw Mo’s last fight and I know he’s good at everything. I knew I had to train hard to face him. I believe there will be a lot of surprises in this fight. Mo has a lot of surprises, but I do too,” he warned.
With nine wins and two losses, Feijão has managed the knockout in eight outings and only gotten the submission once. However, he guarantees he may have some surprises in store for Lawal with his Jiu-Jitsu.
“I have a Jiu-Jitsu background. A lot of people think I’m a striker because I haven’t had the opportunity to show my ground game yet. I’m comfortable fighting standing or on the ground. I studied all my opponents a lot, but I just try and do what is good for me in there. I just try and win,” he said in finishing.
(Collaborator: Nalty Jr)