Tag: Lyman Good

UFC on ESPN 11’s Belal Muhammad plans to continue momentum with statement win over Lyman Good

Winner of six of his last seven, Belal Muhammad will hoping to continue building momentum with a win over Lyman Good.

Winner of six of his last seven, [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] has been on an impressive run at 170 pounds.

Muhammad (16-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) faces [autotag]Lyman Good[/autotag] this Saturday at UFC on ESPN 11 and has been inspired by the recent surge of No. 1 contender and next welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns, who has fully capitalized on the UFC’s schedule during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Muhammad hopes to do the same.

“I can’t wait to just honestly get back out there and get back to work,” Muhammad told MMA Junkie. “Especially you’ve seen all these guys fighting and you’ve seen how guys’ lives are changing within a year. Gilbert Burns literally just – the momentum shift, all it takes is three or four fights that change the momentum and bang you’re fighting for a title, it could happen like that quick. So for me, I just want to go out there and make a statement and then hopefully get a good run going.”

Muhammad and Good were initially slated to face off at UFC 249 on April 18, but Good was forced out after testing positive for COVID-19. The event was then later postponed due to the ongoing pandemic.

When Muhammad returns to the cage Saturday it will have been over nine months since he last competed when he steps into the cage Saturday and should he come out relatively unscathed, he hopes to make a quick turnaround and continue building momentum.

“God willing, if I’m healthy after this fight, I want to just hop right back in there and keep it going,” Muhammad said. “In this sport, I feel like it’s more so the more active you are, the better you fight and a lot of guys where it could go one way or another way where if they go back-to-back they could lose the second one or they’ll cut too much weight and it’ll hurt them.

“For me, I don’t cut a lot of weight anyway, so I’m usually light and around weight so if I could just stay around there and be ready to pop in and at any moment with all these injuries happening … a big fight can come my way.”

Muhammad is coming off a “Performance of the Night” finish over Takashi Sato at UFC 242 last September.  He also holds big wins over the likes of Tim Means and Randy Brown, but he is yet to draw a ranked opponent.

Good may not be ranked, but Muhammad is just focused on racking up wins until the big opportunities naturally come his way.

“You always want to fight a ranked guy (and) get your name up there, but I felt like Lyman got a good run going, people are excited about his last couple of fights and then no ranked guy wants to fight,” Muhammad said. “Everybody’s using that excuse, ‘I don’t want to fight below me or I want to wait,’ but like I said now with the times we’re in, it’s just guys that are willing to fight. Dana White’s looking for guys that are trying to fight. … You can’t wait anymore. You gotta be willing to say yes.

“I just want to be that guy that I don’t care who they put in front of me, I’m willing to say yes to anybody.”

UFC on ESPN 11: Make your predictions for Curtis Blaydes vs. Alexander Volkov

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 11 event in Las Vegas, featuring Curtis Blaydes vs. Alexander Volkov at heavyweight.

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 11 event in Las Vegas.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN 11 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN 11 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

Make your picks for all five main card fights inside:

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7

Lyman Good to face Belal Muhammad in first UFC fight since coronavirus infection

A welterweight matchup between Belal Muhammad and Lyman Good has been rebooked for the UFC event on June 20.

[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Lyman Good[/autotag] has been rebooked for the UFC’s event on June 20.

The welterweight matchup was initially scheduled for UFC 249 on April 18, but Good was forced out after testing positive for COVID-19. The event was then later postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The fight will now take place on June 20. MMA Junkie confirmed the rescheduling after an initial report from ESPN. Good also has posted about it on social media.

Muhammad (16-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) has won six of his last seven and is coming off a third-round submission finish over Takashi Sato last September, which earned him a “Performance of the Night” bonus.

Good (21-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) was the first active UFC fighter to test positive for COVID-19 last month, which he masked as an injury in an attempt not to feed into any hysteria about the virus. Now healthy, Good, who’s coming off a third-round finish over Chance Rencountre last November, will look to string back-to-back wins for the first time since 2015.

With the addition, the current June 20 lineup includes:

  • Raquel Pennington vs. Marion Reneau
  • Roxanne Modafferi vs. Lauren Murphy
  • Shane Burgos vs. Josh Emmett
  • Lyman Good vs. Belal Muhammad
  • Cortney Casey vs. Gillian Robertson
  • Tecia Torres vs. Brianna Van Buren

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UFC’s Dana White hits back hard at boxing promoter Bob Arum

UFC President Dana White used a number of expletives in his response to boxing promoter Bob Arum’s criticism of him.

Dana White responded to boxing promoter Bob Arum’s criticism of the UFC president’s plans to stage three shows this month. And he didn’t hold back.

Arum suggested that White is acting recklessly by scheduling the events before it’s safe to do so amid the coronavirus pandemic. UFC events are set for this Saturday (UFC 249), May 13 and May 16 without live audiences at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

“Good luck to them. I just hope that they’re not endangering the safety of anyone. But this kind of cowboy behavior doesn’t do anybody any good,” said Arum, who has discussed staging events with no spectators in late June at the earliest.

White responded to Arum’s comments on the UFC Unfiltered podcast.

“Listen I think by now that everybody realizes that Bob Arum is a d—head,” White said. “This guy has been talking s— about the UFC and me for 20 years. He’s f—–g bankrupt, this guy, he’s f—–g bankrupt! You don’t want to put fights on, you can’t afford to put fights on, you f—–g j—off!

“You’ve been in this thing your whole life and you’ve completely destroyed the business and the sport. Congratulations Bob Arum, you’re brilliant.”

Arum said he plans to follow the lead of major sports leagues in the United States, not White, whom he called a “cowboy.”

“We’re looking now with Nevada, which we’ll do in a sensible way, or California,” Arum told BoxingScene.com. We’re working with [Nevada’s] Bob Bennett and [California’s] Andy Foster, and we’re talking to the Texas commission. We’re only gonna do this if it’s safe for the fighters and everyone involved, and if it’s approved by the medical authorities.

“We’re not gonna be cowboys, like Dana White. I don’t wanna get politics involved, but I have really very little respect for Dana and what he’s doing.”

He went on: “I think the behavior of people in sports we should be following are Adam Silver of the NBA, Roger Goodell of the NFL, people who are proceeding cautiously and safely, not people who are acting like cowboys.

“For example, [the UFC] wanted to do this fight in California and they were prevented by the governor [Gavin Newsom] and by senator [Dianne] Feinstein going to ESPN and having Dana pull [the plug].

“It turned out one of the fighters, in fact, tested positive afterwards for coronavirus. You know, if we get something like that on one of Dana’s shows, and God forbid there’s a serious incident of spreading the disease, it doesn’t do well for anybody who’s involved with sports.”

Lyman Good was on the UFC 249 card when it was scheduled to take place in Brooklyn but he pulled out and later announced he had tested positive for the coronavirus.

Bob Arum suggests UFC’s Dana White is behaving recklessly

Promoter Bob Arum said he’ll follow the lead of major sports leagues, not Dana White, in determining when to resume boxing.

Boxing promoter Bob Arum said his sport should follow the lead of the major sports leagues, not UFC President Dana White.

White is planning to stage three UFC events in the coming weeks – May 9 (UFC 249), May 13 and 16 – without live audiences at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. They will be the first UFC events since the coronavirus took hold.

White had originally scheduled UFC 249 for April 18 on Tribal land in central California but bowed to political pressure and postponed the event.

Arum suggested that White is still acting recklessly. The Top Rank CEO has discussed staging events with no spectators in late June at the earliest.

“Good luck to them,” Arum told BoxingScene.com. “I just hope that they’re not endangering the safety of anyone. But this kind of cowboy behavior doesn’t do anybody any good.”

He went on: “We’re looking now with Nevada, which we’ll do in a sensible way, or California. We’re working with [Nevada’s] Bob Bennett and [California’s] Andy Foster, and we’re talking to the Texas commission. We’re only gonna do this if it’s safe for the fighters and everyone involved, and if it’s approved by the medical authorities.

“We’re not gonna be cowboys, like Dana White. I don’t wanna get politics involved, but I have really very little respect for Dana and what he’s doing.”

Arum will look for cues from the NBA and NFL.

“I think the behavior of people in sports we should be following,” Arum said, “are Adam Silver of the NBA, Roger Goodell of the NFL, people who are proceeding cautiously and safely, not people who are acting like cowboys.

“For example, [the UFC] wanted to do this fight in California and they were prevented by the governor [Gavin Newsom] and by senator [Dianne] Feinstein going to ESPN and having Dana pull [the plug].

“It turned out one of the fighters, in fact, tested positive afterwards for coronavirus. You know, if we get something like that on one of Dana’s shows, and God forbid there’s a serious incident of spreading the disease, it doesn’t do well for anybody who’s involved with sports.”

Lyman Good was on the UFC 249 card when it was scheduled to take place in Brooklyn but he pulled out and later announced he had tested positive for the coronavirus.

Lyman Good first active UFC fighter to disclose COVID-19 diagnosis, details his ordeal

Lyman Good cited a regular injury for his UFC 249 withdrawal only to reveal the real reason Monday to ESPN.

Former Bellator welterweight champion [autotag]Lyman Good[/autotag] has become the first active UFC fighter to announce a positive test for COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.

Good (21-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC), who lives in New Jersey and trains in New York, which has been the nation’s hardest hit city during the pandemic, was scheduled to fight Belal Muhammad at the ill-fated UFC 249 originally scheduled for April 18 in Brooklyn.

Good withdrew from the bout several weeks ago due to what at the time was simply termed an injury. But on Monday, Good revealed to ESPN that he actually pulled out of the fight after testing positive for COVID-19.

“Although I said it was due to an injury, it was actually because I had tested positive for COVID-19,” Good said. “As soon as I found out, I let everybody know. It was one of those things where it wasn’t sinking in that it could’ve been that. As fighters, we’re hardwired to train through everything. If we catch a cold or little nagging injuries here or there, we’re trained to just pretty much fight through it. At first I thought it was that. But there was just one day where it was bad. My body wasn’t listening, it wasn’t responding the way it normally does to sparring.”

While Good said the worst of his symptoms lasted about a week, he was not hospitalized during the ordeal. Good, who is based out of Tiger Shulmann’s MMA, noted that both he and his girlfriend, as well as a coach at his gym, tested positive for the virus. Good made sure to inform his camp and quarantined as soon as he knew.

“The major contributing factor to my decision (to get tested) was the safety of the people around me,” Good said. “When maybe I thought there was a possibility that I have it, I figured let me just make sure that I have it or not. Also for the safety for my coaches – you know, my coach was showing up every morning to my training sessions – my teammates, my family, and everybody else. Really, what I held into account was the safety of others.”

“My real concern was really just my teammates, my coaches and anyone I was exposed to,” Good continued. “God forbid they get it, they spread it, and someone else gets sick really bad. I would feel responsible.”

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As for why Good waited to make his story public, he said he didn’t want to feed into any hysteria about the virus.

“We didn’t wanna feed into the fear, the imminent fear that’s going on in society right now. There’s a pandemic, it is a real thing happening, but I didn’t wanna stoke the flames, so to speak, and influence the fear factor of other people,” Good said. “I just want to let everyone know I’m much better now. At the end of the day, it was a risk that we were willing to take. As a fighter, I knew what the risks were. Unfortunately it is what it is. It happened.”

Good told ESPN he’s participating in a program to donate his antibodies to the Red Cross in hopes of helping others survive the crisis, which has killed more than 42,000 Americans as of Monday. Globally, the death toll is up to 170,000.

“Unfortunately, a lot of people aren’t surviving this thing,” Good said. “I want to take this negative and try to turn it into a positive.”

Now that he’s turned the corner on the disease, Good, who has won five of his past seven bouts, including a third-round finish of Chance Rencountre at UFC 244 in his last bout, wants to get back to doing what he loves ASAP. 

“I want to get back on a card,” Good said. “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.”

Lyman Good out of UFC 249 bout with Belal Muhammad due to injury

Former Bellator champion Lyman Good is injured and out of UFC 249 welterweight bout with Belal Muhammad.

[autotag]Lyman Good[/autotag] won’t be competing at UFC 249.

The former Bellator champion has been forced out of his welterweight contest with Belal Muhammad due to injury. MMA Junkie confirmed the news with a person close to the situation following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. The person requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.

At this time, there is no word on a potential replacement for Good (21–5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) against Muhammad (16-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC). Good most recently fought at UFC 244 in November where he stopped Chance Rencountre in the third round.

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UFC 249 is scheduled for April 18, but is still without a location in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

The card was supposed to take place in Brooklyn, N.Y., but bans on public gatherings and non-essential businesses forced the UFC to move the card out of the state. Despite government guidelines on social distancing and avoiding travel, the UFC continues to search for a location for the pay-per-view.

The Las-Vegas based company has looked into taking the event into Indian reservations or a foreign country, where there would be no public orders prohibiting them from hosting the event.

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Belal Muhammad vs. Lyman Good added to UFC 249 in Brooklyn

A welterweight banger is headed to Brooklyn.

A welterweight banger is headed to Brooklyn.

[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] will take on [autotag]Lyman Good[/autotag] at UFC 249, according to two people with knowledge of the booking who informed MMA Junkie but requested anonymity since the UFC has yet to make an announcement.

UFC 249 takes place April 18 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims expected on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

The two were scheduled to face off at UFC 205 in 2016, but Good was forced out due to a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency violation stemming from an out-of-competition drug test.

Winner of six of his last seven, Muhammad (16-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) is coming off back-to-back victories over Curtis Millender and Takashi Sato. His rear-naked choke finish over Sato last September at UFC 242 was his first career submission win.

Good (21-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has split his last four appearances, with both wins over Ben Saunders and Chance Rencountre coming by way of stoppage. He will compete in his home state of New York for the fourth time in his UFC career.

With the addition, the UFC 249 lineup now includes:

  • Champ Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson – for lightweight title
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Rose Namajunas
  • Uriah Hall vs. Ronaldo Souza
  • Ben Rothwell vs. Gian Villante
  • Ottman Azaitar vs. Khama Worthy
  • Calvin Kattar vs. Jeremy Stephens
  • Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Ciryl Gane
  • Sijara Eubanks vs. Sarah Moras
  • Lyman Good vs. Belal Muhammad

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