Former PFL heavyweight tournament winner, Ante Delija has reportedly signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC this week, adding to the promotion’s thin heavyweight roster.
Delija, who most recently fought under the banner of FNC in Slovenia, recorded a first round knockout win over former UFC heavyweight challenger, Yorgan de Castro in his first outing since his departure from the PFL.
Making waves in the Donn-Davis led promotion, Croatian striker, Deljia won the PFL’s heavyweight tournament finale back in 2022, scoring a first round knockout win over Matheus Scheffel in the final bracket in New York.
And in the time since, Delija has established a 2-1 record, besting both the above-mentioned, de Castro, and another Octagon alum, Maurice Greene, in between a first round knockout loss to former interim Bellator MMA heavyweight champion, Valentin Moldavsky.
Ante Delija pens deal to make UFC debut outing
According to a report from MMA Fighting reporter, Guilherme Cruz, this evening, the UFC have now penned Ante Delija to a multi-fight deal.
“Former PFL heavyweight champion Ante Delija has signed with the UFC, per sources,” Cruz posted on X this evening.
Boasting an impressive 25-6 professional record, Delija has racked up a notable 12 knockout wins to go with a further six submission stoppages.
An alum of both KSW, M-1 Global, and Rizin FF of note, Delija has turned in other notable professional wins against the likes of Valentijn Overeem, Oli Thompson, and Renan Ferreira, to name a few.
Back in January, Delija was scheduled to fight Russian star, Vadim Nemkov at Bellator Champions Series 6; however, withdrew from the pairing for undisclosed reasons. Delija would be replaced by former UFC light heavyweight contender, Corey Anderson.
