Heavyweight Tyrell Fortune rose through the professional MMA ranks roughly a decade ago. It took until Saturday for him to secure his first UFC victory, though it did not come without drama.

Fourteen years after being pronounced dead during a weight cut, Fortune now also adds a UFC win to his comeback.

Fortune initially 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 reading the scores incorrectly, announcing totals that favored Fortune’s opponent.

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The error went unnoticed until Fortune had exited the octagon and headed toward the tunnel. Officials brought him back, where he was officially declared the winner.

“I was so upset with myself,” Fortune said as he evaluated his performance. “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 wrestling champion’s path to Saturday’s victory includes a 2012 weight-cut incident that left him pronounced dead before he made a full recovery.

Tyrell Fortune prepares to face Marcin Tybura of Poland in a heavyweight fight 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, saying it still doesn’t feel real years later. “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,'” Fortune told ESPN.

“And it really changed my perspective of life in general and how I view just living life on a day-to-day 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 just after my junior-college season, and I wasn’t a big heavyweight. I averaged around 220, 230 pounds. That’s in the middle of two weight categories. International weight classes are 211 and 265 pounds. I’m at 230. I’m like, ‘I can either give up this 30 to 40 pounds, or I can cut weight and be bigger than everybody at 211.’ So that’s what led to the decision to cut weight.”

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Fortune stepped in to fight Tybura on Saturday on two weeks’ notice after an injury withdrawal.

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Saud Shakeel-led Quetta Gladiators claimed their first Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 triumph as they defeated Hyderabad Kingsmen by 40 runs at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.

Chasing 175, Kingsmen were restricted to 134-8 in their allotted 20 overs, courtesy of an exceptional bowling performance by Gladiators’ bowling attack.

Saim Ayub was the first to fall after smashing back-to-back fours in the opening over. He scored eight off four deliveries before being undone by a sharp, unplayable bouncer from Alzarri Joseph.

In the following over, second opener Maaz Sadaqat was dismissed for a second-ball duck by Abrar Ahmed, leaving the side reeling at 17-2 in 1.2 overs.Kingsmen failed to build momentum and lost their third wicket inside the powerplay as Abrar struck again, dismissing Usman Khan cheaply for 14 off 18 balls, including two fours.Saad Ali and Marnus Labuschagne then attempted to stabilise the innings, adding crucial runs to take the total past the 50-run mark.

However, Usman Tariq made an immediate impact in his first over, removing Saad Ali for seven off 12 deliveries as Kingsmen slipped to 51-4 in nine overs.

Skipper Saud Shakeel then chipped in with the ball and struck in his first over, claiming the key wicket of Marnus Labuschagne, who scored 23 off 21 balls, including three fours, reducing Kingsmen to 57-5 in 9.4 overs.Irfan Khan Niazi and Hassan Khan then put together a decent partnership, keeping the scoreboard ticking and guiding the total past the 100-run mark.The 48-run stand was eventually broken when Ahmed Daniyal dismissed Hassan Khan, who had played a fine knock of 31 off 19 deliveries, including three fours and a six, leaving Kingsmen under pressure at 105-6 in 15 overs.

Abrar struck again to hand Kingsmen another blow, dismissing Irfan Khan for 33 off 25 deliveries, including two fours and two sixes. Ahmed Daniyal then joined the attack and removed Hammad Azam for six off eight balls, adding further pressure on the side.Hyderabad ended their innings losing eight wickets, falling short of the target, with Maheesh Theekshana unbeaten on two and Riley Meredith scoring three runs.Batting first, the Gladiators notched up 174-8 in their allotted 20 overs after going off to a decent start as their openers, skipper Saud and Shamyl, began adding runs from the outset.

However, Riley Meredith struck on the final delivery of the second over, dismissing Saud after he had scored a run-a-ball four, giving his side the early advantage as the Gladiators were reduced to 21-1.

In the fourth over, Meredith struck again, providing another crucial breakthrough by dismissing Rilee Rossouw for a five-ball duck.

Shamyl Hussain then joined forces with Hassan Nawaz, as the pair aimed to stabilise the innings, taking the team past the 50-run mark.

Their partnership of 50 runs eased the pressure, allowing them to score at regular intervals and put pressure on the Kingsmen’s bowling attack.

Shamyl was in fine form, raising his bat for back-to-back fifties in PSL 11.

However, the 89-run stand was broken when Meredith struck yet again, dismissing Shamyl Hussain after an exceptional knock of 54 off 41 balls, which included three fours and three sixes.

Hassan continued to pile on the runs, reaching his fourth PSL fifty, with Khawaja Nafay joining him at the crease.

However, Maheesh Theekshana turned the game with his bowling in the 15th over, claiming two quick wickets.

He dismissed Nafay for six off four deliveries, including one four, and followed it up by sending wicketkeeper-batter Ben McDermott back to the pavilion for a duck.

Tom Curran smashed boundaries in the final overs of the innings, helping his team’s total soar past the 150-run mark.

Akif Javed bowled the final over, claiming two crucial wickets—first dismissing Curran for 31 off 18 balls, which included one four and three sixes, and then removing Alzarri Joseph for a duck.Abrar Ahmed came to the crease and hit back-to-back fours, taking a single on the final delivery to finish unbeaten on nine off three balls, while Ahmed Daniyal contributed six runs off eight deliveries.

Riley Meredith was Kingsmen’s standout bowler, claiming 3/38 runs in four overs, while Maheesh Theekshanan and Akif Javed contributed two wickets each.

Lahore Qalandars won the toss and decided to bat first against Karachi Kings in their second match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.

Playing XI

Lahore Qalandars: Mohammad Naeem, Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Parvez Hossain Emon, Haseebullah Khan†, Sikandar Raza, Usama Mir, Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Haris Rauf, Mustafizur Rahman, and Ubaid Shah

Karachi Kings: DA Warner (c), Muhammad Waseem, Salman Agha, Saad Baig, MM Ali, Khushdil Shah, Azam Khan†, Abbas Afridi, Hasan Ali, A Zampa, and Mir Hamza

Head-to-head

Arch-rivals Qalandars and Kings have come face-to-face 22 times, with the 2020 champions leading the head-to-head records with 14 victories, while the holders have eight triumphs to their name.

Their last meeting came in the Eliminator of the landmark 10th edition of the marquee league, which the Qalandars won comfortably by six wickets and went on to clinch the coveted title.

Kings and Qalandars also locked horns twice in the league stage of the previous edition, with both securing one win apiece.

• Matches: 22
• Karachi Kings: 14
• Lahore Qalandars: 8

Form Guide

The two teams enter the fixture with decent momentum in their favour as both Qalandars and Kings won their campaign openers against Hyderabad Kingsmen and Quetta Gladiators, respectively.

Qalandars crush the tournament debutants by 69 runs, while the Kings edged past the previous edition’s runners-up by 14 runs.

The holders’ victory had extended their winning streak to five matches, while the 2020 champions have two defeats in their last five games.

Lahore Qalandars: W, W, W, W, W (most recent first)

Karachi Kings: W, L, L, W, W