Tyrell Fortune‘s toughness earned widespread praise at UFC Abu Dhabi tonight, but many fans were left questioning a decision made outside the cage rather than inside it.
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The American heavyweight was just defeated by Rizvan Kuniev via third-round TKO at Etihad Arena after absorbing a barrage of blows. While Kuniev’s overwhelming performance proved why he is regarded as one of the heavyweight division’s rising contenders, the main post-fight discussion focused on Fortune’s corner and whether the fight should have been stopped before the final round.
Between the second and third rounds, Tyrell Fortune could be heard telling his corner that one of Kuniev’s crushing knees had hurt his ribs and that he was struggling to breathe. Despite repeatedly highlighting the issue, his team sent him back out for the last round, where Kuniev swiftly ended the fight with a flying knee followed by a series of unanswered strikes.
So, as expected, the criticism began almost immediately following the stoppage, with UFC announcer Daniel Cormier questioning the corner’s decision throughout the broadcast.
MMA journalist Nolan King expressed those concerns on social media, claiming Fortune’s team should have intervened once it became evident the heavyweight could no longer compete at full strength.
“Tyrell Fortune and Coach Trevor Lally have worked together for a long time,” he wrote on X. “But if a fighter says he can’t execute because he can’t breathe due to likely broken ribs… seems like a good time to intercept an impending execution. I think DC hit the nail on the head.
“I also wish they would’ve shown the exchange on the broadcast, so we could know full nature of the between-round conversation.”
Many fans agreed, feeling the 36-year-old was practically begging for the fight to be stopped without explicitly saying so. ” A very rare occasion where I’m agreeing with DC on something. Tyrell Fortune begged (without actually saying it) for his coach to pull him out of that fight. Towel should have been thrown in instead of sending him back out for the third round,” one fan wrote.
“Tyrell Fortune told the coach he couldn’t breathe. I wonder why they let him continue 💔,” another added.
Others pointed to the fight itself, arguing Fortune had already lost the opening two rounds before the rib injury made any comeback even more unlikely. “Bad corner work from the team of Tyrell Fortune, clearly broke his rib early on, was down 2-0 in the fight. He said he couldn’t breathe in between rounds. Should have threw in the white flag to avoid the unnecessary damage,” a fan posted.
Despite the criticism directed at his corner, Tyrell Fortune’s bravery inside the Octagon was not unnoticed. Several fans praised the former Bellator heavyweight for continuing to fight through obvious pain.
One user wrote, “Head up champ. Tyrell Fortune fought with heart and left it all in there today,” while another added “Tyrell Fortune showed tremendous heart but that rib injury & Rizvan Kuniev was too much for him today.”
As for Kuniev, the victory solidified his position as one of the heavyweight division’s most dangerous prospects. The former Eagle FC champion repeatedly broke Fortune down with knees, elbows, and pressure, eventually stopping the fight 1:12 into the third round.
While the Russian earned another spectacular finish in Abu Dhabi, much of the post-fight discussion unfortunately focused on whether Tyrell Fortune should have ever been allowed to answer the bell for the final round.
The criticism of Tyrell Fortune’s Corner may not end with fan backlash. While no investigation has been announced, previous cases have proven that athletic commissions are willing to investigate whether a corner fulfilled its obligation to protect a compromised fighter.
Could Tyrell Fortune’s Corner Face Action After UFC Abu Dhabi?
Throwing in the towel is never an easy decision, especially during a high-profile UFC fight. However, fighter safety is supposed to take precedent over providing an athlete every opportunity to continue. Just last month, even lightweight champion Ilia Topuria‘s corner threw in the towel during the UFC Freedom 250 main event after finding it was no longer safe for ‘El Matador’ to continue.
Instead, Fortune’s situation drew instant parallels to Max Rohskopf‘s controversial fight against Austin Hubbard at UFC Fight Night 172 in 2020. After absorbing significant damage in the first two rounds, Rohskopf reportedly told his head coach, Rob Drysdale, to “call it” nine times during the one-minute break before Round 3.
However, his corner refused to call off the fight, forcing a Nevada State Athletic Commission inspector to step in before it could resume. The inspector notified referee Mark Smith and the cageside physician, who confirmed Rohskopf’s decision not to continue before officially ending the fight.
The event caused the NSAC to launch an investigation into the corner’s actions, with executive director Bob Bennett even mentioning the possibility of disciplinary action. Even head honcho Dana White backed Max Rohskopf’s decision, stating that there should never be shame in prioritizing a fighter’s health.
“Let me tell you what, in this f—— sport, if you’re done, you’re done,” White said at the UFC on ESPN 11 post-fight press conference. “You should absolutely be able to quit. I know that it’s frowned upon, but guess what? Anybody that would talk s— about you quitting isn’t in there fighting.
“It’s real easy to be a critic. What these kids do is a whole other level. As the guy who runs this organization, as the guy who’s involved in the matchmaking and everything else, you see these kids; we deal with managers from all over the world. They’re like, ‘This guy’s the guy, this guy’s the guy!’ When you get here, this is a whole different level, and that guy’s not ready and he might not ever be ready.”
Although the NSAC did not suspend or fine Drysdale, the investigation reinforced an important standard: a corner’s primary job is to protect its fighter. It remains to be seen whether the commission in charge of UFC Abu Dhabi will investigate Tyrell Fortune’s situation, but the comparisons to the Max Rohskopf case have already become a hot topic in the MMA community.
