Muhammed Lawal Bestows Tito Ortiz The ‘D**k-Rider Of The Week’ Award For His Actions At ‘Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1’
On Saturday, September 19, 2015, Bellator MMA and Glory Kickboxing collaborated together to present a premier event that would showcase both mixed martial arts and kickboxing matches. This premier event was known as Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1. It was an entertaining event in which fans of both combat sports got to see phenomenal action from the likes of Keri Anne Taylor-Melendez and Josh Thomson. Phil Davis easily was the V.I.P. that night in which he fought both Emanuel Newton and Francis Carmont to win the Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament and earn a title shot against Liam McGeary.
Though most of the fighters had a great night (especially some who lost) at Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1, the one fighter who can be omitted is easily Tito Ortiz. The reason why is because Muhammed Lawal found certain actions Ortiz did to be unprofessional resulting in “King Mo” bestowing upon him the “D**k-Rider of the Week” Award.
According to SciFighting, Muhammed Lawal was keeping tabs on the Liam McGeary versus Tito Ortiz fight while being tended for torn rib cartilage. As recorded in the books, McGeary submitted Ortiz with an inverted triangle, 4:41 minutes into the first round (shown in the video above). However, different camera angles show that Ortiz may have done a “Brazilian tap to an armbar moments earlier. Then to top it off, Ortiz apparently stole mic time from McGeary after they won. Apparently, these two actions was enough for Lawal to award Ortiz the “D**k-Rider of the Week” Award.
“I heard after Liam submitted him he was waiting there, took the microphone and talked about himself. Talking himself up after he got submitted. How do you do that? How do you get submitted in two to three minutes [4:41] and then talk about how good you are? Come on, man. Tito Ortiz gets the ‘D**k-Rider of the Week’ Award.”
Muhammed Lawal sticking up for the Bellator MMA light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary in this situation shows a sense of integrity, something most other MMA fighters wouldn’t do if they were in the same situation Lawal was in at the time. Though Tito Ortiz lost his chance to become champion, Lawal was probably the biggest loser that night, as reported by SB Nation. Technically, Lawal won his fight against Linton Vassell in the Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament. But as mentioned earlier, he suffered torn rib cartilage resulting in Francis Carmont taking his place in the final fight against Phil Davis. Lawal has more than a right to be upset that night for his circumstance but could only see what Ortiz has done for his own selfishness.
To be fair, Muhammed Lawal doesn’t have the most appealing view of Tito Ortiz. Since Ortiz made his debut in Bellator MMA back in 2014, Lawal has done all he could to fight “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy.” For some reason however, Ortiz seemed to dodge Lawal opting instead to fight fellow UFC veteran Stephan Bonnar and former Bellator MMA middleweight champion, Alexander Shlemenko.
For now, all Muhammed Lawal can do is recuperate and heal so he can get back into the Bellator MMA cage. As detailed in the Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1 medical suspensions by the California State Athletic Commission, Lawal is out for 180 days with 180 days no contact. He needs to be cleared by a doctor for a possible rib fracture. It is now known Lawal suffered, as mentioned earlier, torn rib cartilage. He is now waiting for MRI results to get a better idea the extent of the damage. But until he is healed, Lawal promises to be straight-forward, informing MMA fans on who is “d**k-riding.”
“Every week I’ll tell you who’s d**k-riding. There might be a couple of weeks where there might not be one, but where I’m from, Tito Ortiz deserves that award right now.”
[Images via Muhammed Lawal’s Official Facebook Page]
