Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal's retirement is destined for tragedy, as Andrew Kapel (15-6) slays the former RIZIN GP and Strikeforce champ on one leg! It's a stunning Bellator debut for the Elevation rep, now on a five-fight tear. He has stopped 14, 13 in round one. #Bellator233 pic.twitter.com/QOjXjLVDSP
— Kyle Johnson (@VonPreux) November 9, 2019
Kapel was making his promotional debut, and he spoiled “King Mo’s” retirement fight in the process. Following the highlight reel win, the emotions ran high for the 34-year-old.
“Overwhelming. It has been such a long wait and such a big challenge,” Kapel said to Sherdog.com. “It is just shocking at how fast it happened. I was in for a grind but sometimes it just ends like that.”
The fight’s definitive blow happened in a matter of moments. Lawal caught a kick from his opponent, but when he tried to capitalize, Kapel landed a hard jab that essentially ended the fight. The Elevation Fight Team representative says he has practiced the punch in the past and it just landed in the perfect spot.
“It was a reflex response. I have trained that technique for years,” he explained. “But the reason it knocked him out was because he ran into it. He is springing forward right when it landed. It was perfectly placed, and he was springing forward.”
Next, Capel hopes to make a quick turnaround and compete at his natural weight at 185 pounds. The win over Lawal occurred at a 195-pound catchweight.
“It depends on what my manager and Bellator want to do. I want to capitalize on some moment right now and get a fight,” he said.
By upsetting Lawal, Kapel made a statement and proved he belonged on the big stage. He is guaranteed two more fights in Bellator.
“Honestly, I was not looking past this fight. I felt like this was the fight, and all my focus went onto it. Everything else was so far from my mind. I still have two fights left, so I would have probably just been put on the prelims on random events. Now I can get top names and main card fights,” Kapel concluded.