(“Don’t look yet, but tell me if she’s looking at me.”)
It looks like Muhammed Lawal’s positive steroid test may have netted him a much bigger punishment than the fine and one-year timeout levied on him by the Nevada State Athletic Commission; he may also have missed out on a chance at redemption against the only fighter to beat him as well as a chance to regain the Strikeforce light heavyweight title.
According to a report by Tatame, Rafael Cavalcante was in discussions with Strikeforce to again face Lawal before “King Mo” was caught pissing dirty following his win over Lorenz Larkin earlier this month at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine in Las Vegas. “Feijao” says the bout would have been for the light heavyweight title he lost to Dan Henderson, since Hendo relinquished the belt when he signed with Strikeforce’s sister company, the Ultimate Fighting Championship late last year. So what he’s saying is that basically the belt signifies who is in second place in the Strikeforce 205-pound division.
It’s unlikely that Mo will still be in contention when he returns from his suspension next January — that is if the Zuffa decides to keep him around if Strikeforce hasn’t dissolved by then, so this may have been the 31-year-old’s only shot at the belt.