Strikeforce may have inadvertently announced a light heavyweight matchup between former champ Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal (7-1) and former U of Tennessee linebacker Ovince St. Preux (10-4).
Strikeforce fans received their “Strikeforce: Insider” emails today announcing the date of ticket sales for June’s upcoming Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum event in Dallas, Texas. On the poster, right under “The Return Of Gina Carano” is a fourth bout “King Mo vs. Ovince St. Preux” leading us to believe that both men have been booked for the June 18 event.
Last week rumors had Lawal meeting Roger Gracie in July for Strikeforce’s possible first ever pay-per-view, but was not confirmed.
The Strikeforce: Dallas event is set to take place on June 18 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The event will feature the second set of Grand Prix Tournament bouts between Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum and Josh Barnett vs. Brett Rogers.
“King Mo” Lawal has been out for most of the year recovering from knee surgery. His last fight was in August against Rafael Cavalcante, losing by TKO in the third round to the Brazilian who claimed the Strikeforce title for himself. It was Lawal’s first defeat and third bout under the Strikeforce banner.
St. Preux is coming off a unanimous decision win over Abongo Humphrey last January at a Strikeforce Challengers show. It was his seventh fight in twelve months, all of them victories, including four bouts with Strikeforce. With Strikeforce St. Preux has also earned wins over Benji Radach, Antwain Britt and Chris Hawk.
The MMA News will keep updating this story as it develops.