'King' Mo Lawal Maintains His Innocence After Positive Steroid Test
by Brent Brookhouse on Jan 22, 2012 9:33 AM EST
in Strikeforce News
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"King Mo" Muhammed Lawal popped positive for drostanolone after his fight against Lorenz Larkin at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine, a fact that has baffled the former Strikeforce champ. He and manager Mike Kogan have held firm that Mo is clean.
Talking to Sherdog earlier this week, the fighter maintained his innocence and now appears to be using the "supplement defense":
"My track record speaks [for itself]," implored Lawal. "I've been through college and NCAA drug testing, you see what I mean, I'm a clean athlete. I've been tested through USADA [United States Anti-Doping Agency] and WADA [World Anti-Doping Agency] for international competition and I've always been clean ... This is my first positive test for anything, I don't even know what to say. All I know is that the truth will come to light and I know that I'm a clean athlete, I know that I can guarantee that I am a clean athlete."
,,,
"I've never used any performance enhancer in my life," declared Lawal, who along with manager Mike Kogan seem to be targeting a sizeable stash of supplements and anti-inflammatory injections for a troublesome knee injury leading up to the fight as the potential cause for the positive test.
"Right now we're just looking over everything and trying to come to a conclusion [on how this happened] because it's ridiculous, man," said a frustrated Lawal. "I'm in shock. All I can do is keep on looking at my supplements. I don't even know what to do. I just keep looking over my supplements to see what we can find."
I like Mo, but it's worth repeating the standard line where the athlete is responsible for everything he puts in his body. If you're not 100% certain about a supplement, don't take it.
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What exactly does it mean....
“If you’re not 100% certain about a supplement, don’t take it.” How exactly are you supposed to be 100% certain? The only way is to send every single supplement you take to an independent lab for testing. Does ANYBODY do that? Is it even affordable for anyone except that top MMA stars who are realing in the big $$$‘s? Not only that but you would have to do it every single time you open a new container since it could be good one time and not good another time. I just don’t see how it’s possible to be 100% certain all the time unless you totally give up all supplements.
Didn’t Sherk claim it was protein in his case?
"No man dies for what he knows to be true. Men die for what they want to be true, for what some terror in their hearts tells them is not true."
What the heck happened to Sherk? He hasn’t had a fight since September 2010.
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by Zachary Kater on Jan 22, 2012 11:08 AM EST up reply actions
Mhh, I think you’re right. But somehow I heard the “tainted Protein” argument before.
"No man dies for what he knows to be true. Men die for what they want to be true, for what some terror in their hearts tells them is not true."
Sherk always seemed believable when he told his story. Not saying for sure one way or another, but when he came on Inside MMA and discussed it, it really made you wonder about the competence of the athletic commission.
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by Zachary Kater on Jan 22, 2012 11:09 AM EST up reply actions
Aside from the fact that he has looked like a totallyu different fighter post-test and suddenly out of the blue cant stay healthy for more then a month? Yup, totally believable.
Thank you, Doctor Hutchy.
I never said he wasn’t using. You’re the only one who seems to have reached a conclusion.
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by Zachary Kater on Jan 22, 2012 12:47 PM EST up reply actions
I harp on this a lot, but the Quest Diagnostics lab that handled his sample also tested their sample blank (basically a glass of water) as being positive for steroids.
Remember too that this was under the Armando Garcia-led CSAC, which handled drug tests so poorly that the next administration initially instructed promotions to not drug test rather than drug test by the old standards.
My name isn't Todd.
Well, if you beileve the hype
Some Spanish cyclists blamed tainted “beef” for the reason they tested positive for the PED clenbuterol.
Alberto Contador has persuaded the Spanish cycling federation to clear him of all charges stemming from his positive drug test at last summer’s Tour de France, according to news reports Monday in Spain.
If those reports are true, it will be a huge though possibly fleeting victory for Contador, the three-time Tour winner from Spain who claimed that his failed drug test resulted from ingesting tainted beef. The reports could not be independently verified Monday.
If eating a steak can make you test positive for PEDs, virtually nothing is safe.
When I'm on the mic it goes down, CINTRON
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by The Lethal Haze on Jan 22, 2012 11:38 AM EST up reply actions
In some countries clenbuterol is given to cattle
Although I’m not sure if eating the cow can make it show up in your piss.
I trained under Jim Cozad.
And cyclists aren’t testing with urine. They test with blood.
It's that the world is basically a forced labor camp from which the workers, perfectly innocent, are led forth by lottery, a few each day, to be executed.
I don't think that's just the way I see it. I think that's the way it is. Are there alternative views? Yes. Will any of them stand close scrutiny? No.
by memitim on Jan 22, 2012 2:45 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Bas Rutten says this every time..
name the supplemen! Using the unnamed supplement defense is old. " I took A supplement ". What was it? You must be the only fighter to take that one cuz nobody else popped for it. Just admit it and the story will go away. And the less King Mo the better. imo
by filo bedo on Jan 22, 2012 9:54 AM EST via Android app reply actions 1 recs
I think that's why
he said they were looking through his supplements.
Jab, jab, towards, short, fierce.
by asa on Jan 22, 2012 10:05 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Just a thought
Listen I basically agree with this, but what do you think a supplement company would do if some guy claimed in national media that their supplement was tainted? They would sue his ass off. Even if it was true, that’s a headache any sane person would avoid at almost any cost. I don’t know if anyone reading this has ever been in a protracted lawsuit, but it is life sucking and soul draining and can last for years.
I thought Lay N Pray was a stupid insult until I watched Tyrone Woodly fight.
It must have been a can of supplement that only King Mo ever used, or no other fighter in the history of MMA has ever used, because no one else has gotten popped for using this presumably widely available supplement. Funny how that works.
It's pretty easy to have a startup supplement company that looks legit.
Fight shops are often the worst offenders too. They have a gym buddy who started his own “supplement brand” and just needs somebody to carry it, shop owner says they have an “exclusive in house brand” that they make way higher margins on. But it’s really some guy buying raw ingredients in bulk and mixing it in his kitchen and adding in something that may or may not be legitimate to the “proprietary blend.” You can see it all the time.
There was a great scene in Bigger Stronger Faster about this. It’s why you should never trust OTC supplements if you’re going to be tested without being completely sure it doesn’t contain banned substances.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
Many fans don’t accept this because it isn’t them that will get sued. Its not their life that will go through the hell of being dragged into court by a lawyered up company.
The fighter should reveal what they took, but only to the commission in a confidential way. Who gives a shit what fans think? Many fans climb on a high horse and believe it’s as simple as outing the company and it’s over.
That isn’t the case at all. I can’t see Muscle Pharm going quietly when their product is getting called out by a fighter.
I’d rather just climb this fridge
They are going quietly all on their own.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
he actually has named all the supplement's his taken:
http://espn.go.com/blog/mma/post/_/id/7917/lawal-i%27m-all-about-training-hard
Gross: Bete Alanine by Pro Performance?
Lawal: Bete Alanine is supposed to be a supplement that helps delay fatigue. That’s what I heard it does. It’s for cardio.
Gross: Collagenic Intensive by Metagenics?
Lawal: That’s for your cartilage. It’s supposed to help for your cartilage.
Gross: EC Matrixx by Metagenics?
Lawal: Same thing. Metagenics puts out cartilage supplements.
Gross: Glutamine by Bodytech?
Lawal: Glutamine is another recovery agent. You mix it with your protein powder or amino drink.
Gross: Omega Factors by Nature’s Purest?
Lawal: Omega is kind of like a natural anti-inflammatory. It helps with your heart.
Gross: Endurox R(4) by Pacific Health Laboratories?
Lawal: That thing saves me, man. It keeps me from cramping up. It’s a carb drink.
Gross: Elite Recoup Amino by Dymatize?
Lawal: That’s amino acids. I mix it with my Endurox. It gives me extra amino acids.
Gross: Iron by Nature Made? That seems self-explanatory.
Lawal: Yeah, it’s Iron.
Gross: SuperVitamin B Complex with Vitamin C by Nature Made?
Lawal: It helps with the Iron absorption.
Gross: OK, and there were two that were "take only as needed." Mass Lean Gainer by Rock Solid?
Lawal: Yeah man, I usually take that when I’m lifting. It just depends. When I’m doing rehab stuff I like to take a pill or two. One pill in the morning and one pill after I lift. That’s supposed to help you work out longer and tighten up the muscles.
Gross: And AminoCell-AKG by Nuetraceuticals
Lawal: That’s amino acid pills. Sometimes when I travel I don’t want to travel with all the powder. If I carry the powder there’s been a few times when it comes undone in the bag, so I just carry the pill form of amino acids.
Gross: Are these the only supplements you took leading up to the Larkin fight?
Lawal: Yeah, those were the only supplements I took leading up to the Larkin fight.
by darkotto23 on Jan 22, 2012 2:57 PM EST up reply actions 5 recs
Has anyone ever heard of any of these? “Mass lean gainer” sounds like something that would use what he tested positive for to my completely uninformed brain.
could be anything
I regularly use most of what he lists, though not those particular brands (it should be Beta Alanine not Bete).
The only thing I have a question mark about is the ‘Rock Solid’ ‘Lean Gainer’ because I don’t know what is supposed to be in it.
But that all said, these things aren’t made in lab environments where contaminations are unheard of. Last year, South African rugby team was busted and fortunately exonerated after supplements from USN, certified as containing no banned substances by the manufacturer, were found to contain methylhexanamine (the stuff from jack3d).
Any tested athlete is a fool to use any substance not certified for purity by NSF Certified for Sport or HFL Sports Science.
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid." -John Wayne
Death before dishonor, drinks before lunch.
Never send sheep to kill a wolf.
by The American Ronin on Jan 22, 2012 11:41 PM EST up reply actions
Yeh this is definitely good press for Lawal...
Shows he has next to no knowledge of what’s in his supplements. Pretty sweet advertising opportunity though. Gonna get me some of that Mass Lean Gainer
Don't be scared Gomi...
by ThatsHowIRoll on Jan 22, 2012 6:30 PM EST up reply actions
Just man up and admit it.
Fuck you, double fingers
- Nick Diaz
Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society
- Mark Twain
by TheLastEmpress on Jan 22, 2012 10:26 AM EST reply actions
What I don't get is why is it they can sell suppliments OTC that can cause you to piss hot
Don’t the tests get you on stuff that should be illegal?
There are many performance enhancing drugs that are illegal for competition but not illegal for medical or recreational use. Cortisone comes to mind as a banned substance for competition that is perfectly legal to use otherwise.
www.mmalinker.com
by exsanguinator on Jan 22, 2012 10:52 AM EST up reply actions
Not “illegal,” just “not allowed.”
I would have a horseshoe surgically implanted in my ass just so Brock would pull it out and beat me over the head with it while I pleasure myself.
PS: Melvin and I say: Please visit the
Daniel James Miller Foundation and donate.
by Machiel Van on Jan 23, 2012 12:28 PM EST up reply actions
There's stuff they sell on bodybuilding.com
that on the label at the very end tells you not to take it if your involved in something that tests for PEDs
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Even though they all say that they're real, I know that most aren't
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Come with me to another side of the world... so cold and so dark
It doesn't matter if he didn't intentionally take them
It’s still against the rules for them to be in your system. If it is really the “supplements” he should use the ones approved by the NFL. They are supposed to have tight quality control to prevent this sort of thing.
i find it odd
That these guys always take a supplement that causes them to piss hot for a substance that directly help them. In this case drostanolone. They never piss hot for odd shit like estrogen boosters. I know that estrogen is taken to boost testosterone reproduction but I’m just making a point, or trying to. I think you understand what I’m trying to say?
by filo bedo on Jan 22, 2012 10:53 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Most of the substances on the "don't"-list will be helpful though
That’s what got them there in the first place. And to expect the forbidden “recreational drugs” to show up is a stretch, given that the idea is that these substances are added to athletes supplements during production (be it by design to make a product more effective with a few undisclosed additions or by accident because the manufacturer hasn’t seperated production-lines well enough)
"A belt only covers two inches of your ****and the rest you need to back up on your own." Royce Gracie (allegedly...I just read it somewhere and thought it was cool for my sig!)
We just ignorant motha f*****z if we dOnt believe Mo…we don’t know shit, we stupid azz fans
by Afrotikiman on Jan 22, 2012 11:02 AM EST via mobile reply actions
People LOVE to deny cheating
Even on the Tv show Cheaters, people would deny, deny, deny cheating when confronted by the person they’re in a realtionship with. And then the host would show them videotaped evidence of them getting cought in the act cheating and some of them would still deny it (That ain’t me man!). It’s so laughable. Some people just can’t admit to cheating and will just go the deny route until the day they die.
Joey Greco was a boss.
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by Zachary Kater on Jan 22, 2012 11:11 AM EST up reply actions
stupid idea really
How no one died is a mystery to me.
My guess, heavy editing and careful screening.
"I'm ready for fight. If I'm win, no win. I don't know. But, I'm ready for fight. This is my working[shrugs shoulders]" - Anderson Silva
"You'll get Lil Wayne in woman pants and like it!" - Krimson
I guess Kim Winslow wasn't the villain after all
Genius Mo derps gamma-powered bombs on poor Lorenz Larkin then shifts back into what he does best: the high and mighty.
Waterboy at Brock Lesnar's Cruelty-Free Pest Control.
Didn’t he pop for some “expensive designer anabolic steroid”?
I don’t know much about suplement market, but “expensive” and “designer” tell me that
it’s not something you can find in your regular protein shakes.
"I'm not the best, but I'm capable of achieving the impossible" - Anderson Silva
by dancingChicken on Jan 22, 2012 11:06 AM EST reply actions
Just say no, kids
If someone at the gym offers you something because it might help in a certain area – don’t take it.
Find a high end nutritional company to sponsor you if you endorse their product, and have a contract with them regarding liability if in fact any of their supplements are tainted. I’m talking millions of dollars liability clause. If they’re legitimate they should have no problem agreeing to such a contract. If they’re a company that taints supplements to improve their success rate with customers, they’d never take it.
Have the agreement drawn up between both parties’ lawyers so all the legal language can be worked out and it can’t be exploited to try and get a fraud based payout.
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by KJ Gould on Jan 22, 2012 11:13 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
Not really that viable of an option for people who aren't high-profile fighters though...
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by Zachary Kater on Jan 22, 2012 11:15 AM EST up reply actions
It’s human nature for people to push the boundaries of what is acceptable for a competitive advantage. If only it were that easy for everyone to just play by the rules.
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by Zachary Kater on Jan 22, 2012 11:28 AM EST up reply actions
I have no problem with people pushing the boundaries, but I’m not going to feel any sympathy for them when they fall over the edge.
If I sound like I'm sticking up for them, I'm not.
I’m in favor of random testing, I think that’s the only way you can cut down on the people breaking the rules. Well, that, and stiffer punishments. 6 months suspended isn’t really much of a punishent for a Zuffa fighter who fights 2-3 times a year at most as is.
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by Zachary Kater on Jan 22, 2012 11:51 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Too true...
The fact that many Established UFC guys take 3-4 months off at a minimum really lowers the sting of a failed test. These guys lay their health on the line, so I’m not opposed to them using PEDs for recovery in theory, but it would require a ton of oversight, and themufc, while growing fast, is not the NFL. Pro football players must be using HGH, and probably couldn’t survive the physical toll without it.
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ahem
for a perceived competitive advantage
I thought Lay N Pray was a stupid insult until I watched Tyrone Woodly fight.
Yeah, it's debatable. There are drawbacks as well as supposed advantages, also.
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by Zachary Kater on Jan 22, 2012 12:45 PM EST up reply actions
Thats a great strategy KJ for the half dozen guys in MMA (less since Lesnar retired) able to negotiate such a deal.
A lot of these companies already sponsor fighters
If the fighters organise collectively to get such legal language into their contracts, these companies will consider it in case a competitor comes in who is willing to do it.
It also means the tainted supplement excuse can’t be used unless it can be without shadow of a doubt proven.
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True, but that level of organization would be hard without a union/fighters association, so it'll be wrist slaps and business.
Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
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Does Mo understand his defense would be more believable if every freakin person who got caught didn’t say the same exact thing!!! And none of them were able to prove their bullshit to be correct.
by evenflow10 on Jan 22, 2012 11:15 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Has anyone ever been cleared? ?Has there ever been a case where the commission came out and said “We unequivocally screwed up, its 100% our fault, hes totally clean, our bad ,suspension revoked”. Ever? Maybe once?
I like Mo, and i want to believe him, but it's hard
If i’m being honest Mo isn’t one of the fighters that i would suspect to using PED’s. What he says about being tested all throughout college and for international competition makes sense.
This isn’t like the Cyborg case, i never pegged Mo as a “cheater”, but its funny how its the people you least expect who turn out to be using PEDs.
If the people you least expect
and the people you most expect both test positive, what does that say about the people in the middle?
"I'm ready for fight. If I'm win, no win. I don't know. But, I'm ready for fight. This is my working[shrugs shoulders]" - Anderson Silva
"You'll get Lil Wayne in woman pants and like it!" - Krimson
Hey guys?
… I can’t put my finger on why- but I kinda believe Mo.
Does that mean I’m… Different?
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It must be a delightful city and possess all the attractions of the next world" - Oscar Wylde
by SanFranpsycho on Jan 22, 2012 12:30 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Guys Come On...
Claiming you tested positive for Masteron because of your protein powder is the equivalent of the glove not fitting OJ’s hand. It’s ridiculous, untrue, and down right comical. If there were supplement companies out there loading their products up with illegal, powerful anabolic hormones and selling them to thousands of people wouldn’t you think that kind of thing would eventually come out? Or did Mo just get the one bottle that had been dosed? The giant flaming red flag about this whole thing is that Masteron “which is what he tested positive for” is not an orally active hormone. Meaning it has to be injected intramuscularly to become active in the blood. It’s not chemically possible to take Masteron orally, meaning his oral supplement program could not have been the cause of the positive test. It was injected into his body. I find it hard to believe he unknowingly injected powerful anabolic agents into his body.
by CRWHITLOCK on Jan 22, 2012 1:26 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
I say get them all on roids and let them be all that they can be. Like the ifbb.
by peet cassidy on Jan 22, 2012 1:34 PM EST via mobile reply actions
mo needs to find a new manager.
After reading the whole article, 2 things stick out. First, there’s no reason to bring Anthony Johnson’s name into this. Mentioning his name when discussing the type of drug is an unnecessary shot, shutup and worry about your client.
Second, why on earth would testing the B sample be the first thing that you do? in every other sport if the B sample comes up negative, you are negative and get off scot free. Why waste your time investigating everything in your “supplement stash” if it was a false positive?
by Phildo on Jan 22, 2012 1:46 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Agreed. Mike Kogan, based on his commentary on Banuelos during the last Dream event, is a complete and total jackass.
Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
George Carlin
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Customer Service Representative
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K1 Level Predictions Team 2011 BE Cilvil War Champions!
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I have no problem with them all being on roids BUT....
….it would hurt the UFC from a marketing perspective in their efforts to gain new fans and grow the company. There would be a media firestorm. They’d say “The UFC doesn’t care about the health of it’s fighters. They’re willing to let these young men damage their bodies and cause long term health risks that won’t happen until after their careers end.” That sort of thing. Also, I don’t think the athletic commisions would be too keen on allowing it either. It just ain’t gonna happen.
just trying to pull the wool over the fans eyes again, maybe Mo and Kogan don’t understand that Masteron/drostanolone propionate usally passes threw your system in 7 to 10 days after useage, Also the actual drug has not been made now buy any pharmaceutical industry for over 20+ years.Its almost impossible for any supplement to show a false positive for that PED.
I still would like to see comparison pic of Mo, he look much larger during his large fight, his back was huge.
I am free because I choose to be so-Me
He failed the “look test”? Oh my! Suspend him forever!!!!
I would have a horseshoe surgically implanted in my ass just so Brock would pull it out and beat me over the head with it while I pleasure myself.
PS: Melvin and I say: Please visit the
Daniel James Miller Foundation and donate.
by Machiel Van on Jan 23, 2012 12:30 PM EST up reply actions
Hard to feel bad for people who test positive.
I believe they all know exactly what they put in their bodies unless they are extremely careless.
by mixedmartialmike on Jan 22, 2012 7:49 PM EST reply actions
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