Tyrell Fortune defeated Marcin Tybura by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) at UFC Fight Night on March 28, 2026, at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, marking his first victory in the UFC.[1][2]
Cage announcer Bruce Buffer initially read the scores incorrectly, announcing a win for Tybura. The error was corrected after Fortune had exited the octagon and headed to the tunnel, prompting officials to bring him back for the official declaration.[1][2]
The American heavyweight stepped in on two weeks' notice following an injury withdrawal.[1] Fortune, who began his professional MMA career in April 2014,[3] said of his performance: "I was so upset with myself. I felt I didn't do enough. With two weeks' notice, I feel like I did a good job, but I also need to come with a better performance next time."[1]
Fortune's path includes a 2012 weight-cut incident during an amateur wrestling tournament when he was pronounced dead for about one minute before being revived.[4][3]
A former NJCAA national heavyweight champion at Cumberland County College in 2013,[3] Fortune reflected on the ordeal in an interview: "I tried to forget about it for so long... because it seemed so far-fetched. Like, 'Man. I died. Everything was over for a second, and I came back to life.'"[1] He added that the experience shifted his perspective on life.[4]
Fortune explained the context of the cut: "It was just after my junior-college season, and I wasn't a big heavyweight. I averaged around 220, 230 pounds... So that's what led to the decision to cut weight."[1]
Sources
- UFC, "UFC Fight Night: Seattle - Official Results", March 29, 2026, https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-fight-night-seattle-results-march-28-2026
- Fox News Digital, "Heavyweight Tyrell Fortune rises from near-death to first UFC win amid scoring drama", March 29, 2026, https://www.foxnews.com/sports/tyrell-fortune-ufc-victory-marcin-tybura
- Wikipedia, "Tyrell Fortune", accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrell_Fortune
- MMA Junkie, "Tyrell Fortune recalls being pronounced dead for 1 minute during amateur weight cut", May 26, 2021, https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/story/sports/ufc/2021/05/26/tyrell-fortune-recalls-being-pronounced-dead-weight-cut/5216741001/
