The UFC has been in serious need for some fresh blood in the heavyweight division and they might have some help arriving from Croatia. Croatia’s Ante Delija (26-6), a former PFL champion, made his octagon debut just a couple of weeks ago in Paris.
Delija impressed with a huge first round finish over Marcin Tybura which put him into the top ten at heavyweight. Now, the promotion is turning him around quickly for a fight at The APEX. It was announced this morning that Delija will fight next at UFC Vegas 110 opposite sixth ranked Waldo Cortes-Acosta (14-2).
Originally it was being reported that the fight would headline the card. However, it’s since been confirmed that while this fight is on the November 1st fight night, it will not headline the event.
Cortes-Acosta started his career 9-0 before falling to Marcos Rogerio de Lima in 2023. After that decision loss, Cortes-Acosta won five straight which earned him a fight against Sergei Pavlovich last month. Cortes-Acosta lost a decision to the former title challenger but he’s still highly regarded in the heavyweight division.
For Delija, this is a golden opportunity. If he can come in and take out Cortes-Acosta, he will immediately move into title contention given the lack of top stars at heavyweight. Now, what’s interesting is the fact that Delija is a close friend and training partner of UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
Aspinall was visibly emotional when Delija won his octagon debut. It might get interesting if Delija wins in November and becomes a legit contender atop the heavyweight division.
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