UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Four months later, [autotag]Jack May[/autotag] still has a bad taste in his mouth when he thinks of the incident and its aftermath that occurred at Bellator 245.
“I thought it was disrespectful,” May told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “It is what it is. I think sometimes people will show you your true colors without you having to pull it out of them.”
May’s anger is directed at [autotag]Tyrell Fortune[/autotag], a rising star in the Bellator heavyweight division, and in particular, comments made after their first meeting.
The two will rematch Friday at Bellator 255. The circumstances of how their first fight ended were a major factor in their second booking, as it was stopped and declared a no contest after Fortune landed a pair of low-blow knees in Round 1.
Both May (11-6 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and Fortune (9-1 MMA, 9-1 BMMA) claim they asked Bellator for a rematch, but neither took issue with the illegal strikes to the groin themselves. May admits he doesn’t think it was intentional. However, it was a post-fight comment from Fortune that lit a fire under May and got the snowball rolling.
“There was a comment that was made that said I was looking for a way out. That’s complete bullsh*t,” May said. “I couldn’t continue. I’ve never taken a shot like that before. My body just completely shut down on me. Two trips to the emergency room, I was pissing blood – the whole nine. It was only right for this to happen.”
Fortune offers a different perspective. Minutes after the fight in September, he hinted, but never outright said, he felt May milked the injury. Wednesday, however, Fortune didn’t hold back. He expressed doubt in May’s claim that he went to the hospital as a result of injuries sustained.
“Jack didn’t feel like he needed to go to the hospital, so obviously, there’s something a little bit in his mind that told him, ‘Hey man, I don’t want to continue,'” Fortune said. “… No, he didn’t (go) – or he went after he got home. But why wouldn’t he go the night that it happened if it was so bad if it was so severe?”
According to Fortune, his post-fight comments didn’t take long to reach May. Shortly after the fight, the Instagram direct messages began. May was unhappy and used various expletives to let Fortune know it.
“(He was asking) me if I had learned how to throw knees, calling me a p*ssy, a b*tch, and acting dumb,” Fortune said. “Acting stupid. … I’m like, bro, you just got knocked out in bare knuckle boxing. You got your ass whooped in another organization. If I’m a company, why would we want you back? What are you bringing to the show?”
When Fortune’s originally scheduled opponent Matt Mitrione withdrew from their fight due to injury, he knew which name he wanted to slide the way of the matchmakers, regardless of how much sense it’d make.
“I was like, ‘Put Jack May up in here because this p*ssy wants to keep talking. He wants to fight me, obviously,'” Fortune said. “He already had his opportunity and he quit, so let’s give him another one.”
For the first time in his career, Fortune has an opponent that he’s engaged in pre-fight beefing with. The new wrinkle presents a new level of motivation.
“If someone starts disrespecting you, you feel motivated to put them in their place,” Fortune said. “That’s really all it is. I’m not a disrespectful person. I’m not going to message somebody and talk sh*t to them just because I want to fight them, especially if I was already in the cage with them. I think it’s just a dumb ploy on his part.”
Bellator 255 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card airs on Showtime and streams on MMA Junkie after prelims on MMA Junkie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPCcGAcClHg