(We’ll reserve judgment until we hear what Mo has to say about the allegations.)
According to a report by MMAMania, former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal has tested positive for the anabolic steroid drostanalone, a popular weight-cutting aid used by bodybuilders that has also been proven to speed the healing of certain cartilage and soft tissue injuries. Other fighters who have tested positive for the drug in the past include Bill Mahood, Dennis Hallman and Hermes Franca — all of whom admitted to using it for its recovery properties after sustaining serious training injuries.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission allegedly found traces of the drug during his post-Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine fight drug screening after the results came back today.
Mo’s manager Mike Kogan says that Lawal denies ever using the drug and he claims that he doesn’t even know what drostanalone is. In his defense, the drug — or variations of it under its other name “masteron” have been found in tainted supplements in the past, but considering he has been rehabbing a knee injury that required surgery, it doesn’t look good for him that the drug he got popped for is a healing agent.
It’s likely that Lawal will appeal the result.
In totally related news, Zuffa announced via email soon after the news broke today about Lawal that it has adopted a new pre-contract drug screening policy that will see it administer tests before the company will sign a fighter to a new deal.
CEO and chairmen Lorenzo Fertitta says that the policy proves that both the UFC and Strikeforce are taking a hardline stance when it comes to PED use.
“We’re committed to the health and safety of our athletes and we take it very seriously. We already work closely with athletic commissions to protect our athletes and now we’re taking it one step further,” UFC Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta said. “We’re going to test any potential UFC or STRIKEFORCE fighter before finalizing their contract. This shows that we don’t want performance-enhancing drugs in our sport.”
UFC president Dana White echoed Ferttita’s thoughts on the matter, and says that they are doing their best to level the playing field amongst its athletes.
“The health and safety of our athletes is our top priority,” UFC President Dana White said. “We’ve seen the issues performance-enhancing drugs have caused in other sports and we’re going to do everything we can to keep them out of the UFC and STRIKEFORCE. Our athletes are already held to the highest testing standards in all sports by athletic commissions. Our new testing policy for performance-enhancing drugs only further shows how important it is to us to have our athletes competing on a level playing field.”
Should professional athletes be subject to more stringent Olympic-style drug testing when there is money involved in the sports they compete in?
What do you think, Potato Nation?