‘King Mo’ says he’s not interested in Larkin’s flash

Muhammed Lawal's game can be described as spectacular at times, but he wants to be known as a guy who's solid with his fighting fundamentals. He can't says the same about Lorenz Larkin, his opponent this weekend at Strikeforce in Las Vegas.

"With Lorenz Larkin you've got a flashy guy that does the unpredictable," Lawal, nicknamed "King Mo," told ESPN1100/98.9 FM in Las Vegas.

Lawal said the fight may resemble the classic 2001 battle between boxers Prince Naseem Hamed and Antonio Barrera. For years, Hamed dazzled people with his unpredictability and power. He met his match in Barrera, who worked angles defensively and brought his attack straight at Hamed.

"You got Hamed who is very flashy and unorthodox and Barrera, who was a hard-nosed, solid Mexican fighter. With me, I'm a solid, hard-nosed, good wrestler and I've got power," said King Mo. "I'm a slugger. I'm going to break him down."

Lawal could also lean on his world class wrestling to slow down the exciting Larkin, who appears to be a little undersized for light heavyweight. Lawal came to Larkin's defense on the size issue.

"Only in America do we think bigger is always better. Sometimes guys like Fedor [Emelianenko] and [Daniel] Cormier might look like 205 pounders but they have the skill set and style to to be successful at a heavier weight," said Lawal.

Larkin gets to answer that question against Lawal, a legitimate light heavyweight. Will his athleticism be enough to outpace King Mo or will the lack of a high level wrestling background do him in?