Heavyweight Tyrell Fortune was a key part of Bellator MMA’s heavyweight division, and finally arrived in the UFC earlier this year, winning a unanimous decision over Marcin Tybura out of the gate (in a hiccup, the fight was initially announced as a win for Tybura, only for Fortune to be brought back in the cage and the result corrected).
At UFC Abu Dhabi, where things will hopefully go smoother, Fortune (18-3) gets another tough test in Rizvan Kuniev, a former Eagle FC heavyweight champ. Fortune is being thrown into the fire early in his UFC run, in other words, but it’s a situation he’s prepared for.
“I feel like that was kind of my way into the UFC. With my record already coming in, I made the high rankings in Bellator, my previous organization, so I feel like that was what my path was going to be from the start anyway, and I love it,” Fortune stated during this the UFC Abu Dhabi media day. “I think it makes sense. I’m not afraid of these guys, and I think I fit right here at the top of the division anyway. It’s easier for me to prove that now, just being at the beginning.”
For over half a decade now, Fortune, a former USA Wrestling standout who in 2012 flatlined and was pronounced dead during a weight cut, has trained alongside fellow UFC contender Waldo Cortes-Acosta. With that in mind, that’s the one fight Tyrell Fortune does not want.
“I wouldn’t want to fight the training partner I’ve had for the last six years. I think there’s plenty of other guys for us to fight, and the money I’m making, it doesn’t make sense for me to lose my training partner.”
Fortune and Waldo have discussed the situation, and Tyrell added that “at the end it’s a business thing. If I’m going to lose my number one training partner that I’ve been with six years, then it better make sense on the other end.” Financially, in other words. “That’s what makes sense, but I don’t see a point for us to fight when we have plenty of other options for us to get our way to the championship without fighting each other.”
His path might not go through WCA, but Fortune does plan to be a UFC champion. “I’ll be a champion. I’ll be the champion of this division as soon as I can. As long as the opportunities keep coming, I’ll keep knocking them down.”
Watch the full UFC Abu Dhabi media day appearance by Tyrell Fortune above.
