It only took Ryan Bader 15 seconds to get the job done against “King Mo.”
Bellator 199 took place May 12, 2018 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. In the final fight of the opening round of the Bellator heavyweight grand prix, Bellator light heavyweight champion Bader headlined the event against longtime promotional veteran Muhammed Lawal.
The bell sounded to mark the start of the opening round. Lawal opened up with a jab to the body, which missed. The next exchange would be the last, as Bader knocked down Lawal with a short left hand. Lawal was planted on his backside.
“King Mo” tried to scramble up, but to no avail. Bader pounced on his downed opponent and landed eight punches. When the final blow landed and Lawal went limp, Bader sensed his opponent was out, got up, and celebrated before referee Mike Beltran stepped in.
The knockout victory was the second straight for Bader, who advanced to the semifinals against Matt Mitrione. Bader went on to defeat Mitrione by unanimous decision, before knocking out Fedor Emelianenko in the grand prix finals at Bellator 214 in January 2019. The tournament victories earned Bader the promotion’s heavyweight title.
Relive Bader’s 15-second knockout of Lawal at Bellator 199 in the video above.
Bellator free fight: Relive Ryan Bader's 15-second knockout of Muhammed Lawal