This was the mixed martial arts (MMA) equivalent of tee ball.
Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed Lawal advanced to the semifinals of the Rizin Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament with a violent, first-round knockout over Brett McDermott on Tuesday (Dec. 29, 2015) inside Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan (full results here).
Credit to "The Spartan" for his iron chin, but silent jeers for the referee and his hands-off approach to the carnage.
In GIF form:
King Mo vs Brett McDermott #RizinFF #Rizin @BellatorMMA https://t.co/5nPkdc8m1Y
— ZombieProphet (@ZProphet_MMA) December 29, 2015
With the win, Lawal returns for Thursday's (Dec. 31) semifinal match up against Teodoras Aukstuolis, who smoked Bruno Henrique Cappelozza in the first round of their tournament showdown.
A victory over the Lithuanian gets "King Mo" a spot in the finals and perhaps a Fedor Emelianenko fight in 2016, depending on how "The Last Emperor" performs against Jaideep Singh (more on that here)
On a positive note, "The Spartan" looks to be okay.
With @BebeMcdermott just after our fight at #Rizin #Respect #ToughasNails pic.twitter.com/x4HbedS3eZ
— King Mo (@KingMoFH) December 29, 2015
For much more on the Rizin two-day event, as well as live results, check out our comprehensive news archive right here.
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