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    Mark Palmer •

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    Davis gets decision over King Mo at Bellator 154

    In a battle of former college wrestling greats, Phil Davis -- 2008 NCAA champ for Penn State -- defeated Oklahoma State All-American Mohammed "King Mo" Lawal in a top-of-the-card light-heavyweight match at Bellator 154 at SAP Center in San Jose, California Saturday night.

    Two judges scored the bout 30-27 for Davis, while a third saw it 29-28, also for the former Nittany Lion.

    Phil Davis (Photo/Bellator)
    "The scorecards did not quite reflect how close the bout really was ..." wrote Tristen Crutchfield of the mixed martial arts website Sherdog.com. "The first two rounds were especially hard to score. Lawal picked his spots with power punches, relying on his left hook and right hand while also digging to the body when the opportunity presented itself. Meanwhile, the taller Davis' offense consisted primarily of a variety of kicks. Overall, it appeared that Lawal landed the more powerful shots through 10 minutes."

    Eddie Mercado of BloodyElbow.com wrote, "The first round was predominantly a kickboxing bout with small gloves however neither competitor inflicted any significant damage. King Mo started the second stanza by securing brief takedown. The action stalled as King Mo was hit below the belt and as the match resumed it returned to the low impact kickboxing match."

    In the third round, Davis staggered King Mo with a short right hand and uppercut and then drove his dazed foe to the canvas. The former Penn State champ attempted a kimura and an armbar before Lawal could escape to his feet.

    "I should have had a little bit more urgency," said Davis about his kimura attempt. "You've got to be careful with a guy like Mo. Even though he may be tired, he's never too tired for an overhand right."

    With the win, Davis is now the top contender for Bellator's light-heavyweight title, held by Liam McGeary, who confronted Davis after the match, saying, "I hope you stand up with me like that, because I'm knocking you out definitely."

    "To that I say, good luck," Davis replied.

    Both Davis and Lawal had been participants at Bellator's Dynamite 1 one-night tournament back in September, and, in fact were slated to face each other in the finals, but Lawal was unable to compete because of an injury sustained in an earlier match at that event.

    Davis, a four-time All-American and 2008 NCAA 197-pound champ for Penn State, had signed with Bellator in 2015 after competing for Ultimate Fighting Championships. He is now 16-3-1 overall in MMA. Lawal, a 2002 NCAA Division II champ at University of Central Oklahoma who then earned NCAA Division I All-American honors at Oklahoma State at 197 in 2003, is falls to 19-5-1 in MMA competition.
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