Lyman Merrill Good (born May 26, 1985), also known as "American Cyborg", is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. He is perhaps best known for his time spent with

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * ''Bellator'' (fish), a fish genus in the family Triglidae (sea robins) ** ...

, where he was the inaugural Bellator Welterweight Champion, along with being the first Welterweight Tournament Champion, and for competing in the welterweight division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

Biography

Good was born and raised in the

Spanish Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem, or , is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fifth Avenue to the west, and the East and Harlem Rivers to the east ...

section of New York, raised along with his two sisters by only his mother. After a troublesome childhood, Lyman's mother felt getting her son involved in

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

would be a good way for him to release his anger. Outside of fighting, Lyman is also a

Sensei The term "先生", read in Chinese, in Japanese, in Korean, and in Vietnamese, is an honorific used in the Sinosphere. In Japanese, the term literally means "person born before another" or "one who comes before". It is generally used ...

/instructor for Tiger Schulmann mixed martial arts in Manhattan, NY.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Lyman began his fighting career in 2005, at the Ring of Combat promotion. In his second fight, against John Zecchino, he fractured his hand in the beginning of the match. Despite that fact, he won the match by TKO in the second round. Lyman continued to fight in the Ring of Combat promotion, as well as in the IFL and other minor promotions. In the IFL 2007 semi-finals he was matched against

TUF 7 ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest'' was the seventh season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter'', and premiered on April 2, 2008 on Spike (TV network), Spike, a ...

participant Mike Dolce in one of the preliminary bouts. Good controlled the fight on the ground in the second round, gained an edge in the stand-up in the third, and won via unanimous decision. In his last appearance at the Ring of Combat promotion, at ROC XVII, he fought Alexis Aquino. Good dominated the first round with his striking, and while Aquino took control in the second round, Lyman recovered his dominance in the third, winning via unanimous 29-28 decision on the three scoreboards. ROC XVII, including the Good vs. Aquino match, was televised live by

HDNet Fights HDNet Fights was a US based television outlet for various MMA and combat sports promotions. Its broadcast lineup included DREAM, Sengoku, K-1, Strikeforce, Adrenaline MMA, M-1 Global, Ring of Honor, Maximum Fighting Championship, Affliction E ...

. In addition to MMA bouts, Good participated in three kickboxing matches in

Chuck Norris Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. Born in Oklahoma, Norris first gained fame when he won the amateur Middleweight Karate champion title in 1968, which he held for six consecutive years. H ...

's World Combat League, winning all three.

Bellator Fighting Championships

Prior to signing a deal with

, Lyman was to sign with

EliteXC Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a United States–based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on Decem ...

, before the promotion folded. His first fight with EliteXC was scheduled to be against

Paul Daley Paul Anthony Daley (born 21 February 1983) is a British former mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and kickboxer. A professional competitor from 2003 to 2022, Daley competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, Bellator MMA, Bella ...

. Two weeks before his first bout in the Bellator

welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

tournament, he has been featured on

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

, doing a segment for the ESPN Rise program. As part of the preparation to the tournament, Lyman spent several weeks sleeping in a MMA cage at the Tiger Schulmann headquarters facility in

Elmwood Park, NJ Elmwood Park is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and is a bedroom suburb located from New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 21,422, an increase of 2,019 (+10.4%) from the ...

, in order to prepare mentally for the fight. His first fight in tournament fight took place at Bellator II, against

Héctor Urbina Héctor Urbina (born September 17, 1987) is a Mexican-American mixed martial artist. A professional since 2006 who last competed in 2018, he has fought in the UFC, Bellator, EliteXC, and King of the Cage. Mixed martial arts career Early career A ...

, Good dominated the first round with his powerful strikes and in the second round Urbina was able to gain mount momentarily, but Good quickly reversed and defeated Urbina using a rear naked choke. In the tournament's semi-finals at Bellator VII, he defeated Jorge Ortiz and advanced to the finals. His opponent in the tournament's finals, Omar De La Cruz, defeated

Dave Menne David Jeremy Menne (born July 29, 1974) is an American retired mixed martial artist. He was the first ever UFC Middleweight Champion and has also competed for Cage Rage, Bellator, Shooto, ADCC and RINGS. Background Menne was born in Minnea ...

in the same event. The finals of the Bellator Fighting Championships welterweight tournament took place at Bellator XI. Lyman scored a takedown early in the first round, trapped De La Cruz against the cage, and pounded his way to a TKO victory. After the fight, Lyman was crowned the first Bellator Welterweight Champion. In his first title defense on October 21, 2010 Good fought rising star

Ben Askren Benjamin Michael Askren (born July 18, 1984) is an American former professional mixed martial artist, professional boxer and Olympic wrestler. He was the former Bellator and ONE Welterweight Champion, remaining undefeated for over a decade ...

, Askren was able to take him down and control him despite being hit with a huge upkick and almost being caught in a triangle choke at the last minute of the fight. Good went on to lose a Unanimous Decision losing his Bellator Welterweight Title. On March 5, 2011, Good debuted in Bellator's fourth season welterweight tournament quarterfinals against prospect Chris Lozano, He won the fight via unanimous decision. On April 2, 2011, In the Semifinals, Good faced Judo specialist Rick Hawn at Bellator 39, losing a controversial split decision and exiting the tournament. Good was scheduled to fight Dan Hornbuckle at Bellator 44 in a bout that was to serve as a qualifier to gain entry into the promotion's Season Five Welterweight tournament, but Good suffered a hamstring injury that forced him out of the fight. On April 13, 2012, Good faced LeVon Maynard in a qualifying bout at

Bellator 65 2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so i ...

for Season Seven's Welterweight tournament winning via KO in just 13 seconds of round one. On September 28, 2012, Good faced UK fighter

Jim Wallhead Jim Wallhead (born 14 March 1984) is an English former professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight (MMA), Welterweight division. He has competed for BAMMA, Bellator MMA, Bellator, and M-1 Challenge and ...

Bellator 74 2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so i ...

in a Quarterfinal bout of Season Seven winning via unanimous decision. On October 26, 2012, Good faced Michail Tsarev at

Bellator 78 2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so i ...

in the Semifinals winning via TKO due to punches in the second round. On November 30, 2012, Good faced Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 82 in the Finals of Bellator's Season Seven Welterweight tournament losing via unanimous decision. On April 4, 2013, Good faced Dante Rivera at

Bellator 95 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight ch ...

, winning via unanimous decision.

The Ultimate Fighter

In March 2014, it was revealed that Good would be a participant on the UFC's The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn. He lost his fight to get into the house.

Cage Fury Fighting Championships

Good faced Matt Secor at CFFC 36: Secor vs. Good on June 21, 2014. Good defeated Secor via KO in the first round. Good faced Jonavin Webb at CFFC 43: Webb vs. Good on November 1, 2014. The fight ended in a no contest due to an accidental eye poke.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Good made his promotional debut as a short notice replacement against Andrew Craig on July 15, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 71, filling in for an injured Edgar Garcia. He won the fight by TKO in the second round. Good was expected to face

Omari Akhmedov Omari Sirazhudinovich Akhmedov (born October 12, 1987) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division. He previously fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Professional Fighters ...

on December 10, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 80. However, Good was pulled from the bout in late October and was replaced by

Sérgio Moraes Sérgio Moraes (born July 23, 1982) is a Brazilian former mixed martial artist who competed in the welterweight and middleweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as well as being a competitor on '' The Ultimate Fig ...

. Good was expected to face

Belal Muhammad Belal Muhammad (born July 9, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Welterweight (MMA), Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Welterweight Cha ...

on November 12, 2016 at

UFC 205 ''UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor'' was a mixed martial arts event promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on November 12, 2016, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In what was described by UFC president Dana White as t ...

. However, on October 24, Good was pulled from the card after being notified by

USADA The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, ) is a non-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization and the national anti-doping organization (NADO) for the United States. To protect clean competition and the integrity of sport and prevent ...

due to a potential anti-doping violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collected ten days earlier. He was replaced by

Vicente Luque Vicente Catta Preta Luque (born November 27, 1991) is a Brazilian and American professional mixed martial artist of Chilean and Brazilian descent. He currently competes in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). B ...

. Subsequently, USADA released a statement that Good ingested the drug

1-androstenedione 1-Androstenedione, or 5α-androst-1-ene-3,17-dione, also known as 4,5α-dihydro-δ1-4-androstenedione, is a Chemical synthesis, synthetic androgen and anabolic steroid. It is a 5α-reductase, 5α-reduced isomer of the endogenous steroid 4-androst ...

as part of a tainted product and Good was given a six-month ban retroactive to the date of his initial suspension in October 2016. After over two years away from the sport, Good returned to face

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (born November 12, 1986) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He was the former Jungle Fight welterweight champion in Brazil and currently competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UF ...

on July 22, 2017 at UFC on Fox 25. He lost the back-and-forth fight by split decision. The fight earned Good his first ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award. Good was expected to face Sultan Aliev on November 3, 2018 at UFC 230. However, it was reported on October 19, 2018 that Aliev pulled out from the event citing injury and he was replaced by Ben Saunders. He won the fight via knockout in round one. Good faced

Demian Maia Demian Augusto Maia Baptista (born 6 November 1977) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, submission grappler and 5th degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt. Maia competed in both the Welterweight and Middleweight divisio ...

on February 2, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 144. He lost the fight via standing rear-naked choke submission in the first round, the first time he had been stopped in his MMA career. Good faced Chance Rencountre on November 2, 2019 at UFC 244. He won the fight via TKO in the third round. Good was expected to face

on April 18, 2020 at

UFC 249 ''UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 9, 2020 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It was originally planned to ...

. However on April 4, Good pulled out due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

infection. The bout was rebooked and eventually took place on June 20, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

** Fight of the Night (One time) vs.

Bellator Fighting Championships Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from '' bellātor'', the Latin word for "warrior". Bellato ...

** Bellator Welterweight Championship (One time, First) ** Bellator Season 1 Welterweight Tournament Winner ** Bellator Season 7 Welterweight Tournament Runner-Up * Cage Fury Fighting Championships ** CFFC Welterweight Championship (One time) **Interim CFFC Welterweight Championship (One time)

Suing supplement companies for tainted products

Good was pulled from his initial UFC debut on November 12, 2016 at

from a

violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collected ten days earlier whereby Good ingested

and was given a six-month ban. Good filed two complaints suing Gaspari Nutrition, Hi-Tech Pharmaceutials,

Vitamin Shoppe The Vitamin Shoppe (formerly Vitamin Shoppe Industries, Inc., stylized as the VitaminShoppe) is an American, New Jersey–based retailer of nutritional supplements. It also operated three stores in Canada under the name VitaPath from January 20 ...

and Millennium Sport Technologies for breach of express warranty (sales contract), false advertising, deceptive practices and assault.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

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Fortaleza Fortaleza ( ; ; ) is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeastern Brazil. It is Brazil's 4th largest city—Fortaleza surpassed Salvador, Bahia, Salvador in 2022 census with a population of slightly over 2.4 mi ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 20–4 (1) , Ben Saunders , KO (punches) , UFC 230 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:32 ,

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center , 19–4 (1) ,

, Decision (split) , UFC on Fox: Weidman vs. Gastelum , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Uniondale, New York Uniondale is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in central Nassau County, New York, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead, within the New York metropolitan area. The population was 32,473 at the time of the 2020 United States census ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–3 (1) , Andrew Craig , KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Mir vs. Duffee , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:37 ,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–3 (1) ,

Nah-Shon Burrell Nah-Shon Burrell (born February 5, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, Burrell has competed for Bellator MMA, the Ultimate Fighting Champio ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , CFFC 48: Good vs. Burrell , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:47 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–3 (1) , Micah Terrill , Submission (rear-naked choke) , CFFC 45: Stiner vs. Horcher , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:47 ,

, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 16–3 (1) , Jonavin Webb , NC (accidental eye poke) , CFFC 43: Webb vs. Good , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:43 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–3 , Matt Secor , KO (punches) , CFFC 36: Secor vs. Good , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:21 ,

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a Town (New Jersey), town in and the county seat of Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–3 , Dante Rivera , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–3 , Andrey Koreshkov , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 82 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 , Michail Tsarev , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:54 ,

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , LeVon Maynard , KO (punch) ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–2 , Rick Hawn , Decision (split) , Bellator 39 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Chris Lozano , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 35 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Lemoore, California Lemoore (formerly La Tache and Lee Moore's) is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford-Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 252 ...

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, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 33 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , Omar de la Cruz , TKO (punches) , Bellator 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:47 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Jorge Ortiz , TKO (doctor stoppage) ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Adam Fearon , Decision (unanimous) , Ring of Combat 9 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Good, Lyman 1985 births Living people American male mixed martial artists American sportspeople in doping cases Doping cases in mixed martial arts Mixed martial artists from New York (state) Welterweight mixed martial artists Bellator MMA champions Mixed martial artists utilizing Kyokushin kaikan American male karateka People from East Harlem Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters