The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
Just under two weeks before UFC Houston, the heavyweight bout between veteran fighter Anthony Hamilton and promotional newcomer Marcel Fortuna was added to its main card.
Although he was riding a five-fight win-streak and his opponent was entering off a loss, things were not boding well for Fortuna.
The debutant not only had to deal with Octagon jitters and taking on an eight-fight UFC veteran after booking the bout on short notice, but he also had to cope with making a divisional debut. Fortuna normally competes at light heavyweight and boy did he look completely outsized at the official weigh-ins.
Heavyweight Hamilton weighed in at 258.5 lb, while Fortuna tipped the scales at 210.5 lb. Just looking at the nearly 50 lb weight difference between the two competitors gave off the impression that it was going to be an embarrassing mismatch.
Fortuna landed in trouble early in the bout when a clash of heads opened up a nasty gash on his eye. The referee brought proceedings to a halt in order to have the cut inspected and he was eventually given the all-clear to continue.
He recovered well and came back swinging for the fences, trying his utmost to punish his adversary. 3:10 into the first, the punishment arrived when he sent Hamilton face-first into the canvas by intercepting an overhand right with a left-right combo.
Clearly dazed, Hamilton managed to stand back up, but the referee had already intervened. He didn’t realise this though and clumsily ran head-first into the fence at the other side of the cage. Not being fully aware of his surroundings, he essentially tried to double-leg the Octagon, but ended up just slamming his dome into the fence.
Unsurprisingly, Fortuna confirmed he would be moving back down to 205 lb during his Octagon interview.
GOOD FORTUNA!
Impressive KO and debut from the new UFC heavyweight, Marcel Fortuna. https://t.co/Vyqt5NmvuL
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) February 5, 2017
