Longtime Bellator MMA heavyweight Tyrell Fortune arrived in the UFC on Saturday, taking on a ranked opponent in Marcin Tybura at UFC Seattle.
Fortune, taking the fight on short notice, has notable wins over Matt Mitrione and Marcelo Golm, both UFC veterans. He also has a remarkable story, having been declared dead after a botched weight cut.
Round one saw Tybura stalking Fortune, who was bouncing lightly on his feet. About a minute in, Fortune exploded forward with an easy takedown, trapping Tybura against the cage and landing several solid shots. Tybura managed to turn to his knees and attempted to use the cage to stand, but Fortune caught him with a big right hand as he rose. Tybura struggled to secure his back against the cage but did land some short knees and elbows. The fighters separated with a minute remaining, though little action followed.
Round two opened with a heavy exchange, with Tybura pressing forward and throwing volume strikes. Fortune appeared to be conserving energy, remaining low volume and selective, landing one powerful shot at a time. Tybura managed a straight left, which Fortune absorbed without issue. In the final minute, Tybura landed a body kick while Fortune connected with two clean straight rights. It was a stronger round for Tybura, as Fortune’s measured pace kept the fight closer than it perhaps should have been.
The final round began with both men tying up early. Fortune absorbed several hooks to the body while failing to make much impact against the cage. Tybura, though not landing anything particularly decisive, stayed active with forward pressure. His aggression led to a duck-under takedown attempt from Fortune, which Tybura immediately escaped, rising to his feet despite taking a few shots. Tybura continued pressing against the cage, landing some decent strikes to close out the fight.
Overall, it was a slow-paced affair where both fighters struggled to find a rhythm against each other. Tybura’s activity and forward pressure contrasted with Fortune’s selective striking, resulting in a tactical, if unspectacular, matchup.
Come the judges scorecards, Tybura was announced the winner, with Fortune exiting the octagon. Then, in an embarrassing moment for all involved, Fortune was called back into the cage, with announcer Bruce Buffer apologizing and re-reading the result, with Tyrell Fortune earning the decision win. Tyrbua took the mishap gracefully, and Fortune will no doubt never forget how his first UFC win was announced.
Having stepped into the fight on two weeks’ notice, that’s a significant victory for Fortune, who will almost certainly be ranked next week.
Official Result: Tyrell Fortune def. Marcin Tybura by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
