Lawler vs Babalu at June Strikeforce
It appears the post-fight brawl in Nashville will have an effect on the upcoming Strikeforce card in Los Angeles on June 16, as Jason "Mayhem" Miller has been removed from the show. Renato "Babalu" Sobral will take his place in a fight against Robbie Lawler in a catchweight bout at 195 pounds.
The news was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com on Thursday by Strikeforce president Scott Coker. Sherdog.com initially reported the move.
Coker says that Sobral was called upon because of an upcoming hearing by the Tennessee Athletic Commission in mid-May that will determine the fates of those involved in the aftermath of Jake Shields’ victory over Dan Henderson, in which Miller entered the cage unbeknownst to Strikeforce officials, and a melee broke out shortly thereafter.
The commission is expected to levy fines and suspensions on some of the people involved in the brawl. According to Coker, Mayhem will not be available for several months, and the penalty is expected to be "more than just a slap on the wrist."
The Tennessee Athletic Commission was unavailable for comment at the time of publication, but the meeting will be held in May, and discipline will be handed down.
Sobral was scheduled to be a part of the recently canceled Dream light heavyweight Grand Prix on May 29, so he was in training already for a fight, but now the timeline gets moved up and the weight class gets moved down from 205 pounds to 195.
Lawler enters the fight following a stunning knockout of Dutch striking machine Melvin Manhoef in January.
With Miller's suspension expected, it's unknown if other fighters involved like Shields or his teammates will also face time off, but Coker says the organization will honor all suspensions handed down from the Tennessee Athletic Commission.
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