Mohammed "King Mo" Laval took the time to talk about his desire to come to Ossetia, joint training with Fedor and much more.
King Mo - I want to come to Stary Oskol and train with Fedor Emelianenko!
Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammad "King Mo" Laval, literally a day after leaving for Holland, where he trains striking technique with Tyron Spong, took the time to talk about his desire to come to Ossetia, joint training with Fedor, the future fight, and many other things.
Hello King, first of all tell us how are you doing, have all your injuries healed and have you started training?
Hey! Injuries hardly bother me, now I am in good physical shape. I actively train striking technique and wrestling.
Your last fight took place in August 2010, when should we expect your return to the action? And what about potential rivals?
I plan to return in the spring, in May or June … I don’t know yet who will be my rival, but I am ready for any proposal from Scott Cocker and Strikeforce. I do not choose opponents for my fights.
Dan Henderson is a title contender. Let's pretend you're winning your next fight against a tough opponent, so you're ready for another chance to become champion? Who would you like to meet, Fejao or Dan?
I would like to meet both of them, first take revenge on Feijao and take my belt. After the fight with Cavalcante, I want to fight against Dan Henderson, this man is the legend of our sport, it is a great honor to meet him.
Everyone wants to know if we'll ever see you in the UFC?
Satisfied with the conditions that Strikeforce provides me, this is my home, here I became a champion. The UFC is a great promotion, they are the best in the world today, but as long as I prefer to stay with Strikeforce, they suit me better.
You told me earlier that you would like to come to North Ossetia this summer for wrestling training. To tell you the truth, it surprised me a little, we watch videos of training in the USA and most fighters dream of training in such conditions, and on the contrary, you strive to return to basics. What pushes you to take such a step? What exactly do you hope to find in Ossetia that is not in America?
I like Russia, I will be glad to come again, you have very strong wrestlers. I was in Dagestan for competitions and I wanted to go there for training, but I found out that all the best wrestlers are now in Ossetia. I want new sensations, new sports experience, I am impressed by the hunger and motivation that Russian wrestlers have.
You also said that you would like to stay in Stary Oskol and train with Fedor. Surely both of you can learn something new from each other. Are you not afraid of the language barrier, because you do not know Russian, and Fedora does not know English?
I want to stand in pairs with Fedor, train together, learn from him something new for me. I don't think the language barrier will become a big problem, because I have already trained in Russia several times. Emelianenko is a legendary fighter, he met with the best. If you have the opportunity to be close to the best and train with him … this opportunity must not be missed !!
Since we started talking about Fedor, say a few words about the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. Who do you think who will win?
Great tournament !! But this is just the case when I will refrain from predictions. Everything is so unpredictable that everyone can win, all the fighters gathered in the tournament are very dangerous.
When Alexander Shlemenko returned home, he spoke very flatteringly about training with you. What do you think of him as a fighter? He is only 26 years old, do you think he has a future in sports?
Alex is a great athlete, a very tough fighter. He is a good student, he quickly grasps everything, you will see in the future he will be a champion !! I would like to train with him again if the opportunity presents itself. I really think it would be useful for the American Kickboxing Academy team.
You have said more than once that not all fans are dowries and really understand this sport for real, you also once said, even before the defeat at the hands of Fezhao: "You lost and you are immediately overrated."
I don't pay attention to what the fans say. When Fedor lost to Fabricio Werdum with a triangle, many of them began to say that Emelianenko was overrated. All this amuses me a lot, because one defeat cannot spoil a good athlete.
The inscription on your wrist reads: “I am my own religion, I only worship myself. I worship myself, so I am my own Lord, I am my own Lord, then I am my own Satan. " Explain what meaning do you mean by this saying?I believe that each person is a god for himself in this life. We ourselves manage our lives and our affairs. We are gods for ourselves … Each person always has the right to choose what actions to do good or bad. We all always have a choice to do good or evil. This is the meaning I put into this inscription.
King Mo suffers his first career defeat.
I don't know if you like to talk about your childhood and adolescence, which were very difficult. Your parents were first-generation immigrants from Nigeria, your father quickly left the family, you lived in a trailer, you were pierced with a screwdriver. Looking back, would you like something different in your life?I had a difficult childhood. My mother did everything for me, I owe her everything that I have now … And also my family … She raised me and taught me that I must work hard and not break down in difficult situations. “Don't let anything stop you from going towards your goal,” she told me. What I have become, I owe her.
For most Americans, Russia is something very huge, mysterious, cold, and not very welcoming. On the contrary, you come here, and moreover, you visit places that even many Russians consider not the safest. How comfortable do you feel in Russia?
I feel quite comfortable in Russia. At first, when I arrived, everything seemed strange to me, everything was very unusual for me, but then I got to know people, met athletes and ordinary fans and began to feel at home. Now I miss Russia. You have great people there. We are culturally different, but there are good people everywhere.
Tell us something interesting from your past trips here?
I will tell you how I first came to Krasnoyarsk. It was winter, a terrible cold outside, I thought I was going to die, I was so cold. I came to the wrestling tournament, after the performances, the guys, the athletes, invited me to the club, to dance and relax. (laughs) It was a lot of fun!
King, we can talk for hours more, but then I’ll translate it all into Russian, and it’s too late, so the last couple of questions. When you play EA MMA, what other characters, besides yourself, of course, do you choose?
In EA MMA, I mostly play Fedor, Kung Lee and Nick Diaz, these are my favorite characters. In general, I don't play video games a lot.
If you want to say hello to someone, or to address your fans, to thank the sponsors, the "microphone" is yours
I want to say hello to my friends in Russia Sajid Sajidov, Khadzhimurad Gatsalov, “King G” better known as Gennady Kolesnikov, the entire Kolenik family, my Team Thirsty team, and all those who are trying to achieve perfection!
