Wichtig » but was slightly less sprightly at the SSC - perhaps understan

When Muhammed Lawal returns to the Bellator MMA cage on Friday in Ireland, he wont be using the trip to do any sightseeing or kiss the Blarney Stone. Hes only there for business.I aint going to Ireland to kiss no damn rock. Im going to Ireland to kick some ass, Lawal told ESPN.com. Its cold. Whatever I want to see I can see on TV.Lawal (19-5), better known as King Mo, takes on Satoshi Ishii (14-6-1) in the main event of Bellator 169, which emanates from 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. The bout will be at heavyweight, the second time Lawal will fight in the division with the promotion. That doesnt mean he has packed on extra weight, however. Lawal says hell be lucky to tip the scales at 215 pounds, compared to Ishii, who is listed at 240. The lighter combatant isnt concerned about the weight difference.Im undefeated at heavyweight. When I fought Cheick Kongo he was like 240, a solid 240, Lawal said.Last time out at Bellator 154 in May, Lawals seven-fight win streak was snapped in a No. 1 contenders fight with Phil Davis. It was a tight battle, with Davis landing the biggest strike of the fight in the third round, a cracking right hand that dropped Lawal to the canvas. Lawal, who has always been tough to put away, survived the rush. But all three judges awarded the fight to Davis, who went on to win the Bellator title in November against Liam McGeary by unanimous decision.Months after the Davis fight, Lawal still wholeheartedly disagrees with the decision, which saw two judges score it 30-27 and the third score it 29-28. Lawal believes he won the first two rounds, landing the more significant strikes.This has become a theme with Lawal, who also criticized the judging of his split-decision victory over Kongo in February 2015.If judges cant watch and see whos winning, then why have them? Lawal said.Based on their career numbers, there is plenty of potential for a stoppage in this bout. Lawal has won 13 of 19 fights by knockout while Ishii has seen all six of his defeats come by knockout. Still, Lawal says he wont be looking to force anything despite his common displeasure with judges.Every fighter tries to go out there and finish the fight. The thing is that you cant finish them all, he said. They say, Dont let it go to the judges. Well, if they say that, then why have judges?The matchup pits two styles of grappling against each other, with Lawal bringing his high-caliber freestyle wrestling credentials into the cage against an Olympic gold medalist in judo. Lawal, a former Strikeforce champion, has gotten a firsthand look at Ishiis game by training with him in the past.Lawal says the pair trained around three years ago at Mikes Gym in Amsterdam, a kickboxing powerhouse that has seen the likes of Melvin Manhoef and Badr Hari train there. In addition to that locale, Lawal says he and Ishii trained in California in the past. Based on that time together and what his coaches at American Top Team have seen, Lawal is confident he knows what to do to be victorious.Ive got striking, wrestling. Theres a lot of things I can do, he said. I have more than one way to win the fight. Hes tricky and he hits strong, so I just got be smart and make sure I dont hang out in positions that hes comfortable in. My thing is I just want to keep him uncomfortable.Ishii made his Bellator debut back in June at Bellator 157, losing a split-decision to Quinton Rampage Jackson. It marked the second consecutive loss for the 2008 Olympic gold medalist, just seven months after he was knocked out in the first round by Jiri Prochazka in the quarterfinals of the Rizin Heavyweight Grand Prix. Lawal ended up knocking out Prochazka in the finals of the tournament.Lawal represented the Bellator brand in Rizins debut last year, and much like he did in Japan last December, he will lead the way for Bellators Irish debut this year. He has never been afraid to speak his mind, whether it be about judging, former Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney or many other topics. People may champion or hate his comments, but there is always a reaction, and being authentically Muhammed Lawal has gotten him to where he is today.I just kind of do what I feel like doing. Sometimes I forget that people actually watch me fight, Lawal said. Its a double-edged sword. Some people hate it. Some people like it. They want me to be like something else, but I cant. I refuse to do that.Cheap Custom NBA Shirts China .J. Jefferson has been charged with assaulting his girlfriend. Custom New Orleans Pelicans Jerseys . 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If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency.10Rangana Herath (28 wickets at 12.75, 119 runs at 23.8)In 145 overs of lovable left-arm spin, Rangana Uncle took more wickets than any other bowler in the series, and also claimed many more hearts. His batting has always been wonderfully watchable, but since England, he has struck the form of his life, so the entertainment now lasts longer. He was hit in the box by Josh Hazlewood at the SSC, yet he collected the series best bowling analysis there. Really, it was Australia, who after almost every encounter with Herath, were left whimpering squeakily, knees together, clutching the crotch, writhing on the floor.9Dhananjaya de Silva (325 runs at 65, 2 wickets at 31.50)Batting so effortless it is like he is slung in a hammock at the crease, a cigar between his lips. De Silva stroked Steve OKeefe for six to get himself off the mark, then went on to top-score in a series dominated by the bowlers. He never failed to get a start, then turned the starts into big scores at the SSC. His offspin is only decent, rather than deadly, but the team already trusts him to field at backward point.Kusal Mendis (296 runs at 49.33)At 21 years old, Kusal Mendis has already played one of Sri Lankas great Test innings. The 176 at Pallekele was not just match-turning, it also transformed the series. Then he top-scored on the toughest pitch of the tour, in Galle, as well, and claimed some excellent catches at short leg to boot. Mendis was playing in the Moin-ud-Dowlah tournament merely a year ago. Coaches will encourage him to improve, knowing, no doubt, that at this rate of ascent, he could be overlord of the galaxy in just a few years.7Dilruwan Perera (15 wickets at 24.80, 116 runs at 19.33)If Dilruwan so much as glanced in an Australia batsmans direction, at Galle, they would give him their wicket. He generally only plays when conditions are stacked in a spinners favour, yet has played the second spinner role so well, he became the fastest Sri Lanka bowler to 50 Test wickets. He was often the straight man to Heraths hilarity, when they batted together.Dinesh Chandimal (250 runs at 41.66, one stumping, one catch)Now seemingly a long-term No. 6 and wicketkeeper-batsman, Chandimal made an important 42 alongside Mendis at Pallekele, and played his most mature innings to date at the SSC, where the score had been 26 for 5 when he walked in. That hundred left him sapped. Chandimal is usually so chatty after a good performance that he is often found by cleaning staff the next morning, still answering a question from the previous days press conference. This time there were only one-sentence answers. The eight-hour innings was enough.6Lakshan Sandakan (9 wickets at 23)A little raw still, and he didnt always have control, but when Sandakan got it right, at Pallekele, he was a delight. In that match he relied heavily on his googly. Some batsmen claimed they could pick him, but most looked baffled, like he was bowling hieroglyphs. Was barely needed in Galle, and was superfluous in the second innings at SSC. He bowled the delivery of the series, when in the second innings at Pallekele, the ball came at Joe Burns like a mugger in a dark alleyway.Nuwan Praadeep (2 wickets at 26)Played only in the first Test before taking his government-mandated hamstring injury leave.dddddddddddd He is in better control of his swing than he used to be, so he can now stake a claim in Sri Lankas top XI, when fit. If he, Dushmantha Chameera and Dhammika Prasad are ever available to play in the same game, Sri Lanka may even have a decent pace attack. But a great many stars would have to align for this to happen. Like the SLC balloon trip in which officials float off into space through an abundance of hot air, this is merely a Sri Lanka fan fantasy.Kusal Perera (146 runs at 24.66, three stumpings, four catches)Having run around the world trying to prove his innocence to the ICC earlier this year, Kusal now finds himself run around in the batting order, sometimes opening, sometimes batting at No. 3, occasionally coming down the order, and at other times, taking the gloves. He played two manful innings at Galle, and made rapid stumpings at the SSC. He says he is happy to bat anywhere the team needs, and given his recent history of success in a polygraph test, fans may be inclined to believe him.5Angelo Mathews (155 runs at 25.33)Despite looking out of form, Mathews still found a way to make runs at Galle, sweeping, and reverse-sweeping his way to 54 and 47, though his impact in the remaining innings of the series was limited. At times his bowling changes seemed so effective, if he had thrown the ball to a spectator, they might have finished with five wickets. The SSC declaration was too conservative for many. Given the rate at which Australia collapsed, though, perhaps Sri Lanka could have happily batted on.Vishwa Fernando (1 wicket at 16)He had been in at least two Test squads before this tour, without getting a debut. When he got his chance, he was only required for two overs. Thankfully he did take one wicket in those overs, so at least he can claim to have had marginally more impact on the series than, say, the sightscreen attendants.4Kaushal Silva (133 runs at 22.16)Kept playing loose drives until, by his own admission, having to get six stitches in his left hand, prevented him from playing that stroke, and he went on to get an important hundred. Having learned the cure for that mode of dismissal now, he may consider taking a small knife and bandages with him on future tours. Caught well at Pallekele and Galle, but was slightly less sprightly at the SSC - perhaps understandably so.Suranga Lakmal (1 wicket at 54)Was ruled out of the first two Tests through injury, but took the important wicket of Shaun Marsh at the SSC - breaking Australias biggest stand of the series. Was slightly expensive in that innings, but that wasnt to be of great consequence.2Dimuth Karunaratne (41 runs at 6.83)He has played some outstanding innings in tough conditions, but the paucity of his recent scores will be difficult for the selectors to ignore. Caught well, especially in Galle.*One of the scores was accidentally omitted at original time of publishing. This has been corrected. ' ' '