Tyrell Fortune (right) has forged himself solid career in the Bellator heavyweight division. Photo / Getty Images
Tyrell Fortune (right) has forged himself solid career in the Bellator heavyweight division. Photo / Getty Images
Trying to make weight ahead of a fight can be a dangerous time for a fighter as they push the absolute limits of human strength.
Fighters in the past have been helped onto the scales while others have collapsed after just weighing in under the limit.
For some as much as they try and as dangerous as the feat is, they still fall short of the required cutting.
But for one MMA fighter, it almost cost him his life.
Heavyweight Tyrell Fortune spoke to Fansided's Amy Kaplan and detailed the moment just out of college when he attempted to cut drastic weight that ended with him being rushed to hospital and pronounced dead.
"I just got out of college, I was about 230 pounds. I was given a week's notice before a fight to cut 26 pounds and I dropped 25 pounds in 5 days before I had my seizure," he said.
"An hour before weigh in I went and ran a mile then went to my coach and said something was wrong, but I still had one pound to go so I ran another lap and I came in and something was still wrong so I went to get some water.
"I stepped up to the water fountain and collapsed and had my seizure.
"I pass out and when I woke up I was in an ambulance and the guy was resuscitating me and he said 'every time you go to sleep you're dying, you need to stay awake'.
"I had an anxiety attack and passed right back out. They tried to resuscitate me four times, I didn't come back. I was at the hospital and they covered me up and pronounced me dead.
"I was on the side of the wall for about eight-nine minutes and then I woke up screaming because the sheet was over my head and I was strapped down and couldn't move at all.
"So I was just screaming for help and this lady comes and takes it all off of me and she tells me 'you're dead, we tried resuscitating you and nothing worked'".
Thankfully Fortune came too and has gone on to carve out an impressive career in the heavyweight division at Bellator.
On Saturday he kept his unbeaten streak alive and extended it to eight wins after taking care of Azunna Anyanwu with a second round TKO.
