The UFC clash between Marcin Tybura and Tyrell Fortune ended in chaos as veteran announcer Bruce Buffer made a monumental blunder by announcing the wrong fighter as the winner.
After what was a mostly uneventful heavyweight clash on Sunday (AEDT) Tybura was initially announced as the winner after three rounds at UFC Seattle.
The No. 8 heavyweight contender thought he’d picked up a unanimous decision victory courtesy of 30-32, 29-28, and 29-28 scorecards from the judges, as a litany of boos rained down from the Seattle crowd.
However, confusion soon set in as the Pole was left looking around as he waited for Daniel Cormier to come speak to him, as Fortune headed out of the Octagon and for the exit.
However, Buffer then called Fortune back to the cage in bizarre scenes.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I apologise for the mix-up,” Buffer said.
“The scoring is 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27 to the winner by unanimous decision, Tyrell Fortune.”
You can watch the bizarre scenes in the player at the top of the page.
In commentary, Paul Felder commended Tybura for his understanding.
“Each gets to taste the thrill of victory and agony of defeat,” Felder said on Paramount+.
“Tybura handled that well when they realised he didn’t win. That’s a tough situation to be a part of. For Tyrell Fortune it makes it a bit more memorable.”
Speaking post-fight, Fortune said he was so upset with himself for not doing more after he thought he had lost his UFC debut.
“Bro, I was so upset with myself,” Fortune told Cormier.
“I just felt like I didn’t do enough.
“We were questioning it, but I was just upset.”
The UFC world was also left baffled by what they had just witnessed.
“Bruce Buffer trying to give Fortune a heart attack,” one fan wrote.
“I have never seen that. What an end to an uneventful fight,” another commented.
“I have no words but at least they got it right in the end,” a third said.
It’s unclear if Buffer read the wrong fighter out when reading the scorecards or if the judges marked it wrong on the official cards.
Fortune has now won four straight fights, while Tybura has now lost back-to-back fights.
