King Mo tests positive for anabolic steroid

The Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer confirmed via email on Tuesday that former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion and current top contender Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal tested positive for the anabolic steroid Drostanolone following his first round TKO win over Lorenz Larkin at “Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine” on Jan. 7 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Drostanolone is most commonly sold under the brand name Masteron and is often used for “cutting cycles” and by individuals who want to increase their strength and muscle definition without gaining much weight.

Executive Director Kizer informed ProMMAnow.com (www.prommanow.com) the matter has been referred to the Attorney General’s office for issuance of a complaint for disciplinary action. Lawal will then have the ability to file a written answer.

This is the second Strikeforce fighter this month to test positive for steroids. On Jan. 6, just one day before Lawal’s fight, it was announced Strikeforce women’s 145-pound champ Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos had failed a Dec. 17 drug test following her first round TKO victory over Hiroko Yamanaka in San Diego.

Santos received a $2,500 fine, a one-year suspension and her win over Yamanaka was overturned to a “no contest”. A similar fate likely awaits Lawal unless he wins an appeal and can prove there was a mistake with the results. It should be noted that Lawal has denied any wrongdoing.

Although Zuffa, the parent company of Strikeforce and the UFC, has not officially commented on Lawal’s case, they did send out a press release today, not long after Lawal’s test results were made public, that from now on all potential UFC and Strikeforce signees will be subject to a mandatory pre-contract screening for performance-enhancing drugs.

Fourteen other Strikeforce fighters were tested following the Jan. 7 event and all tests were negative. Those fighters are as follows: Luke Rockhold, Keith Jardine, Robbie Lawler, Tyron Woodley, Tarec Saffiedine, Tyler Stinson, Nah-Shon Burrell, James Terry, Gian Villante, Trevor Smith, Ricky Legere, Chris Spang, Estevan Payan and Alonzo Martinez.