Nearly 10 years after making his professional MMA debut, heavyweight Tyrell Fortune finally has his first UFC win — and not without some late controversy.
Fortune (18-3) defeated Marcin Tybura (27-10) by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Seattle, via judges’ scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28. But confusion reigned when UFC cage announcer Bruce Buffer initially read the scores in favor of Tybura.
Fortune left the Octagon and was making his way back to the tunnel, when UFC officials caught the error and summoned him back into the arena, where he was announced the winner.
“I was so upset with myself,” said Fortune, who is from the Northwest. “I felt I didn’t do enough. I was just upset. With two weeks’ notice, I feel like I did a good job, but I also need to come with a better performance next time.”
The former NCAA Division II national champion wrestler has taken a long path to this point, including a near-death incident during his amateur wrestling career in 2012, in which he was pronounced dead after suffering health complications during a weight cut. He went on to make a full medical recovery.
The 35-year-old was considered a top prospect earlier in his career. He fought in Bellator MMA from 2016 to 2023 and made two appearances in the PFL’s now-defunct regular season format in 2024.
