Strikeforce Veteran Lumumba Sayers Arrested for Murder in Alleged Revenge Killing

Former Strikeforce competitor Lumumba Sayers has been arrested after allegedly killing a man to avenge the death of his son, according to a report from Denver7.

According to an arrest affadavit obtained by the network, Sayers was arrested on Saturday after he allegedly approached a man and shot him in the head at a child’s birthday party at Pioneer Park in Commerce City, Colorado. The victim was identified as Malcolm Watson, who was believed to have been a friend of the man accused of killing Sayers’ son last year. According to witness accounts, Sayers allegedly walked back to the man’s body and attempted to shoot him again, but the gun “jammed.” Witnesses also claimed that Sayers removed a set of keys from Watson’s pocket and attempted to plant a gun near his body.

Tyrell Braxton was arrested in connection with the death of Sayers’ son, but the murder case has since been dismissed, according to the report. The exact nature of the relationship between Watson and Braxton is not revealed in the arrest affadavit.

“This murder was probably in retaliation or revenge,” reads a witness account in the affadavit.

Sayers and his son, Lumumba Sayers Jr., were both anti-gun advocates who focused on stopping violence in their community. The elder Sayers started a boxing gym in Aurora, Colorado, called Heavy Hands Heavy Hearts. A person identified as a community leader told Denver7 that Sayers was still “in a dark place” following his son’s death.

Sayers went 6-5 during a professional MMA career that ran from 2009 to 2014. He went 2-2 under the Strikeforce banner, notably facing the likes of Derek Brunson, Scott Smith and Anthony Smith during his tenure. More recently, Sayers competed under the BKFC banner this past May, defeating Jeremy Morrison via first-round stoppage.