Light heavyweight Emanuel Newton (19-7 MMA, 2-1 BFC) said he has no bad blood with Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (9-1 MMA, 1-0 BFC).
When they fight tonight at Bellator 90, it will be all business for the straight-edge fighter, who makes his second run at tournament gold after a decision loss ended his first competition.
"We're not best friends or anything, but we've trained together a couple times before," he told MMAjunkie.com (
http://www.mmajunkie.com). "We were on the same plane together, and we sat down and ate together. So I have no hard feelings toward him whatsoever."
Still, Newton isn't uncomfortable about expressing his opinion on Lawal's standing in MMA.
"I think he's a beaten warrior," he said. "He's had a lot of battles, and he's had a lot of surgeries. He's been competing in wrestling for the majority of his life. So I think there's going to be holes in his game, and I just have to find those holes and capitalize on them."
Newton and Lawal co-headline Bellator 90, which takes place tonight at Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah. The event's main card, including the Season 8 light-heavyweight semifinals, airs live on Spike TV following prelims on Spike.com.
Despite Newton's assessment, Lawal enters the fight as a 14-to-1 favorite in some sportsbooks.
"I think Bellator is feeding him," Newton said. "I don't have anything bad to say about Bellator, but I feel like they think, 'He's our main draw, and we can't put him against a guy who's got a good chance of beating him.'"
Newton, however, believes he's come into his own as a fighter and can give Lawal a good challenge.
"I've learned what kind of fighter I am," he said. "When I first got into Bellator, I wasn't sure what kind of style I should have. Am I going to be more of a wrestler, or more of a striker, or more of a brawler? Now I've figured my style and what works for me, and what I need to do to keep my style crisp."
Newton's awkward, kick-heavy approach has helped him overcome two of three Bellator opponents. But he's also shown well on the ground. In the opening round of the Season 8 tournament, he earned a second-round submission win over Atanas Djambazov.
That put him in line to fight Lawal, who knocked out Przemyslaw Mysiala in the first round of their opening-round fight.
"With 'King Mo' I'm going to see what happens and not get myself into a game where I'm being too aggressive," Newton said. "He's just going to change levels and take me down. I can't just try to swing with him in the pocket because his hands are fast and he's got some power. So it's just a matter of feeling him out and definitely staying active and pushing the pace. Staying outside, but definitely pushing the pace."
Newton might have taken a different approach given his previous tournament experience, which ended in a split-decision loss to technical striker Attila Vegh in the opening round of the Summer Series competition.
"If this was against any other fighter in the tournament, I'd be like 'f--- it,' I'm going for the finish no matter what to keep it away from these judges," he said. "But for this fight, I'm going to have to be patient."
Success for Newton would further upend the tournament field, which has seen favorites Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Seth Petruzelli eliminated in the opening round.
"'King Mo' is a tough fight," Newton said. "I know that. But if I go out there and beat him, it's huge. If I go out there and prove myself to the fight world, even if I lose, it's huge. I feel like he has a lot more riding on him than I have riding on myself.
"Anyone can be finished. It's just a matter of the set up and figuring out where you're going to put it. It could be on the feet, it could be a kick, it could be in a scramble situation, and his neck will open up, and I'll be able to grab a hold of that."
Source: MMAJunkie.com
