Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight fighter, Lyman Good, tested positive for coronavirus, which led to his withdrawal from the now-canceled UFC 249 card.
In a recent interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, ‘American Cyborg’ bravely opened up about his battle against the deadly disease.
“I knew something was up. I know my body. I’ve been through it all,” Good told Helwani.
“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.”
The former Bellator star shared he had difficulty in breathing during a sparring session last month, which forced him to get tested.
After a few days, he found out that he had contracted the virus. His girlfriend, Elena Bulgor, tested positive too.
Real Concern
Good immediately informed his team about the results, fearing he had spread the virus to the people he had been in contact with.
Unfortunately, his coach also tested positive for COVID-19 but has since recovered.
“My real concern was really just my teammates, my coaches and anyone I was exposed to,” he said.
“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. Unfortunately, I brought it back to [my girlfriend]. 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.”
A Real Thing
The American welterweight revealed the disease was the real reason why he pulled out of his UFC 249 fight with Belal Muhammad.
“We didn’t want to feed into the fear, the imminent fear going on in society now. It’s a pandemic, it is a real thing happening. But I didn’t want to stoke the flames.”
“I don’t want people to feel bad for me and or to say this whole situation is messed up.”
“It is, but at the same time I was fortunate enough to beat it. Now, let’s get through this, let’s stay connected. Stay positive. We’ll get past it, there’s better times on the way.”
As of April 21, the total coronavirus cases in the world has reached 2.5 million with over 170 000 deaths, based on the data from Johns Hopkins University.
Watch Lyman Good’s interview below:
(Featured Image Source: Instagram/ Lyman Good)