Ante Delija
Walking Trouble
Croatia
Slated for UFC debut
Delija will face Marcin Tybura in a heavyweight bout at UFC Paris on Sept. 6, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
Delija will make his UFC debut against an opponent who is 14-8 in the promotion and is coming off two straight victories. This fight will be a tall order for the new signee, but Delija did have a UFC bout scheduled in 2020 that was ultimately cancelled, so this has been a long time coming for the Croatian.
Delija will make his UFC debut against an opponent who is 14-8 in the promotion and is coming off two straight victories. This fight will be a tall order for the new signee, but Delija did have a UFC bout scheduled in 2020 that was ultimately cancelled, so this has been a long time coming for the Croatian.
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Signs with UFC
Delija has signed with the UFC, according to Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting.
ANALYSIS
At 34 years old, Delija will make a move to the UFC. Since his 2022 PFL Heavyweight Tournament win, he has fought thrice, once each year from 2023 onward. Delija went 2-1, with his latest fight not part of the PFL and instead at an event called FNC 22. With a TKO win then, he enters the UFC with 18 finishes and 12 KO/TKOs in 31 fights, with a 25-6 record.
At 34 years old, Delija will make a move to the UFC. Since his 2022 PFL Heavyweight Tournament win, he has fought thrice, once each year from 2023 onward. Delija went 2-1, with his latest fight not part of the PFL and instead at an event called FNC 22. With a TKO win then, he enters the UFC with 18 finishes and 12 KO/TKOs in 31 fights, with a 25-6 record.
Quick TKO wins PFL title
Delija defeated Matheus Scheffel via TKO (punches) at 2:50 of Round 1 at the 2022 PFL Championships to win the heavyweight title and $1 million top prize.
ANALYSIS
Delija was one of the bigger favorites on the entire card and absolutely looked the part. He was able to back an overmatched opponent against the cage relatively early before unloading a flurry of strikes that forced referee Dan Miragliotta to step in and call off the proceedings. Delija was at one point booked for a UFC bout, but it never materialized. It now might be difficult to draw him away from a promotion that puts up a $1 million prize for the heavyweight champion each year, but the 32-year-old prodige of Mirko Cro Cop certainly has plenty of options.
Delija was one of the bigger favorites on the entire card and absolutely looked the part. He was able to back an overmatched opponent against the cage relatively early before unloading a flurry of strikes that forced referee Dan Miragliotta to step in and call off the proceedings. Delija was at one point booked for a UFC bout, but it never materialized. It now might be difficult to draw him away from a promotion that puts up a $1 million prize for the heavyweight champion each year, but the 32-year-old prodige of Mirko Cro Cop certainly has plenty of options.
UFC debut not coming Saturday
Delija (17-3-0) is no longer scheduled to face Ciryl Gane (6-0-0) on Saturday at the UFC's event on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, LaSueur.com reports.
ANALYSIS
According to the report, Delija was forced to back out of the bout due to contractual issues with the Professional Fighters League, the promotion he previously competed with before reaching a deal to make his UFC debut on Fight Island. Delija will now have to resolve the contract situation before he has the opportunity to step into the Octagon for the first time, though it's not clear how long that might take. Rather than finding a short-notice replacement for Delija, the UFC has elected to cancel the co-main event entirely.
According to the report, Delija was forced to back out of the bout due to contractual issues with the Professional Fighters League, the promotion he previously competed with before reaching a deal to make his UFC debut on Fight Island. Delija will now have to resolve the contract situation before he has the opportunity to step into the Octagon for the first time, though it's not clear how long that might take. Rather than finding a short-notice replacement for Delija, the UFC has elected to cancel the co-main event entirely.
Will debut against Cyril Gane
Delija will step in on short notice to make his UFC debut against Ciryl Gane at the event scheduled for Oct. 17 on Fight Island, MMAJunkie.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Delija picked up a win under the PFL banner in 2019, and after having multiple fights cancelled, picked up another victory over Oli Thompson under the KSW banner later in the year. He's a 30-year-old fighter with a 17-3-0 pro record, but will still likely enter as the underdog to Gane given the latter's elite prospect status. Gane has just six pro fights, but three of them have been victories under the UFC banner, with his most recent one coming via decision against Tanner Boser in December. Delija is an inch taller, but Gane has a four-inch reach advantage.
Delija picked up a win under the PFL banner in 2019, and after having multiple fights cancelled, picked up another victory over Oli Thompson under the KSW banner later in the year. He's a 30-year-old fighter with a 17-3-0 pro record, but will still likely enter as the underdog to Gane given the latter's elite prospect status. Gane has just six pro fights, but three of them have been victories under the UFC banner, with his most recent one coming via decision against Tanner Boser in December. Delija is an inch taller, but Gane has a four-inch reach advantage.