By Krystle J Bailey
Matt “Lightning” Lyall of Atlantic City is picking up where he left off as a professional Muay Thai/MMA fighter. At 43 years old, Lyall has carved a path for himself in the martial arts world and is known for having “Shins of Steel.”
His fighting journey began at an early age when he was living in the Virgin Islands. As an adopted child from Korea with a small stature, growing up with Scottish parents in the Virgin Islands, Lyall was the target of bullying at a young age.
In true Karate Kid fashion, Lyall learned to fight in the name of self-preservation. While many of his peers were skipping school to participate in typical youth activities, Lyall was learning to defend himself. When he wasn’t fighting, he would cut grass to earn an allowance that he used to buy magazines and books that inspired his love of martial arts.
At 18, Lyall was offered a fighting contract by a sponsor who brought him to New York. When money fell through and plans changed, Lyall was left in the Bronx to figure out life for himself. After navigating the New York public transportation system, Lyall found himself living with the Guardian Angels organization, which helped him to continue his training. During this time, Lyall turned to kickboxing and began carving his own path in the martial arts world.
His martial arts list of accolades includes USKBA Super Bantam Weight Kickboxing Champion, PKF Bantam Weight Muay Thai Champion, 2X David Vs. Goliath Muay Thai Champion, 2023 Action Martial Arts Hall of Fame, 2x Gold Medalist Caribbean Youth Games, and so much more.
When his then-girlfriend, now wife, gave birth to their first child, Matt “Lightning” Lyall made the decision to hang his belt up for a while as he cared for his growing family. He started a traditional career to provide and went dormant from the fighting scene for several years. He had already won several amateur fighting titles and fought with some of the biggest names in UFC and MMA. As domestic matters took a priority in his life, Lyall moved his growing family to Atlantic City, NJ.
“God’s timing is impeccable,” shares Lyall. “I woke up one day and decided to get back to fighting. I’m going to finish what I started.”
Lyall’s fighting career has never been about fame, recognition, or money. What began as a way to protect himself has blossomed into a career that he believes is his life’s purpose.
Lyall’s sheer shin strength and his ability to break through even baseball bats have made it challenging to come across people willing to fight him. In this season of his career, he is taking a different path and going slightly more unconventional with Street Beast, David Vs. Goliath non-sanctioned fights.
These fights allow him to continue to pursue his career while opening himself up to additional opportunities, including sponsorships and global recognition.
“Sometimes you just have to go with the flow and play the game,” explains Lyall about his non-conventional approach. “If you want to make a difference in life, you have to be seen.”
It’s making a difference and fulfilling his God-given purpose that is most important to Matt Lyall.
“Right now, God has something important for me to accomplish, and it has nothing to do with money or fame,” he tells Shore Local. “I’m going to walk away from fighting like John the Baptiste. Maybe the light won’t be on me, but something I did that may have given someone else the light they needed.”
Matt Lyall was recently sponsored by Tough Sports out of Thailand and is looking forward to an upcoming fight in Indonesia. In the meantime, he continues to live, train, and work in Atlantic City. He plans to bring an accessible karate school to the city that he says has been so good to him.
Keep up with Matt “Lightning” Lyall on Facebook and Instagram @MattLightningLyall.
