We got a major heavyweight upset on the Bellator 288 main card when Daniel James stopped Tyrell Fortune with strikes in the second round.
I hear you loud and clear Mr. @djames1981! #Bellator288 pic.twitter.com/uqKWK1iT2f
— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) November 19, 2022
@DJames1981 stoppage is even crazier in slow motion!
The #Bellator288 Main Card is LIVE now on @SHOSports. pic.twitter.com/UH5dJGv5MX
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) November 19, 2022
Fortune, a hearty -300 betting favorite, had a pretty successful opening round round. He was able to blast a takedown and locked up a full on rear-naked choke, but a +250 betting underdog in James leaned into his hand fighting to find a way out of that terrible situation.
The ending came early in the second round as the fighters were exchanging in the pocket. As Fortune went to throw an overhand heater, he missed big and overextended himself. Misfortune struck Fortune as the hometown fighter in James reached all the way down into the Chicago soil to load up one of the most heavyweight uppercuts that you will ever see. The former NCAA wrestling champion tried to roll out of the way, but he was late to the party due to missing big with that overhand.
The devastating blow sent Tyrell crashing down to the canvas, and from there Daniel got on top of and proceeded to drop elbow after elbow. The referee gave Fortune a chance to improve his position, but it was clear that this match was over and done with.
The 40-year-old James is 14-6-1 overall, and his professional debut was actually at Bellator 112 back in 2014. He fought for LFA a couple of times earlier in his career, but his last six-outings occurred on the Russian circuit. It wasn’t until facing Fortune here that he made his return to Scott Coker. It looks like Bellator have added themselves a new heavyweight knockout artist to the mix that actually cuts weight to make the limit.
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