Lyman Good has revealed he was forced to pull out of UFC 249 as he contracted the coronavirus.
Welterweight contender Good was set to face Belal Muhammad on April 18 but withdrew from the card earlier this month citing an injury. Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Good admitted he had lied about being injured and was actually battling against the coronavirus, he said.
“I knew something was up. I know my body. I’ve been through it all. I’ve been through a lot of injuries and a lot of other things. But this was different. As a professional athlete, we’re always constantly pushing our bodies. For me, my body was like my point check to see how physically I feel and everything. And my body just wasn’t there at all.”
According to Good his girlfriend and one of his coaches also contracted the virus. However, he was happy to reveal none of his teammates had been infected.
“My real concern was really just my teammates, my coaches and anyone I was exposed to. God forbid they get it, they spread it, and someone else gets sick really bad. I would feel responsible.”
“We had to lean on each other pretty much,” Good said of himself and girlfriend Elena Bulgor. “Unfortunately, I brought it back to her. I guess when I got it, I didn’t have the symptoms right away. … We did the best we could together inside the household to just recover from this thing.”
“We didn’t want to feed into the fear, the imminent fear going on in society now,” Good said. “It’s a pandemic, it is a real thing happening. But I didn’t want to stoke the flames.”
Now that he is fully recovered Good is looking forward to getting back to fighting as soon as possible, he told Helwani.
“I want to get back on a card. I have unfinished business. Like I said before, I’m a fighter through and through. I was out of commission for a little bit, but I’m ready to go back there.”
Do you think Lyman Good is the only UFC fighter to have contracted coronavirus?