I recently had the chance to speak with “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, who will challenge Low Ki for the World Championship at MLW’s Superfight event at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia tomorrow night.
Lawlor’s quest to face Low Ki has been months in the making, and he says “The Professional” tries to intimidate him, but those watching will see he’s not scared of anything the champion does:
“Honestly, if you take a look at Low Ki and the body of his work over the past 15 years, he’s been undefeated in MLW. It’s not always about what he’s done in MLW, but what he’s done around the world, on virtually every stage he’s been on. He’s been successful, but it’s been at the hands of other people, it’s been because he’s willing to take advantage of others in order to further himself instead of putting in the time and effort and doing it the right way. Low Ki likes to pride himself on intimidation tactics, and presenting himself as a tough guy, and like an all-knowing omnipotent being but I look at him a lot differently. There’s nothing that I’m scared of when it comes to Low Ki, there’s nothing that he’s presented to me that makes me think that he’s going to be able to handle what I’m bringing on Saturday night. Look at his entire career; when it comes down to getting into a fight and having to dig deep, he’s going to run.”
Low Ki has taken some personal shots at Lawlor, including comments about his family, and also hinted at things going ‘extreme’ in their match. Lawlor once again said Low Ki’s comments don’t bother him at all:
“I have no clue what Low Ki has planned, but my plan every time I get in there—whether it’s a barroom brawl, in a cage or in a ring—I’m there to deliver pain and agony with my fists, my feet, my forearms, anything I can use. My knees, my head, anything I can use to get an advantage on my opponent. If Low Ki wants to bring some foreign objects, if he wants to bring some toys into play, that’s fine. I’m more than happy to oblige him either in that realm, or with our bare fists.
As far as him getting personal, it’s interesting that Low Ki will mention my family—my kids, my wife—as if it’s something bad, as if it makes me weak that I have people that care about me, that actually think I’m a good person. I look at things much differently than he does. Quite frankly, I think that he’s the one that’s mentally weak. He wants to talk about my family, but it’s not going to make me emotional by any means.”
While Lawlor may be focused on taking the World Championship, and said he wants to put Low Ki to sleep, I asked if there was any part of him that wants to prolong the fight and dole out some well-deserved punishment to the current champion. Lawlor’s response was succinct:
“Some of the most brutal beatings are done in short order.”
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MLW Superfight is at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. Fans can watch live on TV on beIN SPORTS, or buy tickets starting at $15 at http://www.MLWgo.com.
