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Heavyweight Tyrell Fortune rose through the professional MMA ranks about a decade ago. It took until Saturday for him to secure his first UFC win, though it didn’t come without drama.
Fourteen years after being declared dead during a weight cut, Fortune is now also adding a UFC victory to his comeback.
Fortune first beat Marcin Tybura by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night, receiving judges’ scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28. However, cage announcer Bruce Buffer caused confusion by misreading the scores and announcing totals favoring Fortune’s opponent.
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Tyrell Fortune reacts after a victory against Marcin Tybura of Poland in a heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Climate Pledge Arena on March 28, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
The mistake went unnoticed until Fortune had left the octagon and was heading for the tunnel. Officials brought him back where he was officially declared the winner.
“I was so upset with myself,” Fortune said in evaluating his performance. “I felt like I didn’t do enough. I was just upset. With two weeks’ notice, I feel like I did a good job, but I also have to come up with a better performance next time.”
The former NCAA Division II wrestling champion’s path to Saturday’s victory includes a 2012 weight loss incident that left him pronounced dead before he fully recovered.
Tyrell Fortune prepares to face Marcin Tybura of Poland in a heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Climate Pledge Arena on March 28, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
He recalled the experience and said it still doesn’t feel real years later. “I tried to forget it for so long … because it seemed so far-fetched. Like, “Man. I died. Everything was over in a second and I came back to life,” Fortune told ESPN.
“And it really changed my perspective on life in general and how I look at just living life on a daily basis. When you’re in a situation like that, you really start to look at your values as a person and you see what’s important to you because it was all self-inflicted.”
Marcin Tybura (red gloves) fights Tyrell Fortune (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Climate Pledge Arena on March 28, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Steven Bisig/Imagn Images)
“It was right after my junior-college season and I wasn’t a big heavyweight. I averaged about 220, 230 pounds. It’s in the middle of two weight classes. International weight classes are 211 and 265 pounds. I’m at 230. I’m thinking, ‘I can either give up this 40-pound weight or I can go bigger than 40 kilos to go bigger than 30 kilos. 211.’ So that’s what led to the decision to cut back.”
Fortune stepped in to fight Tybura on Saturday on two weeks’ notice following an injury withdrawal.
