Ante Delija

Walking Trouble

Croatia

Drops striking affair in Houston
HeavyweightUFC
February 21, 2026
Delija lost to Serghei Spivac via unanimous decision (27-30, 28-29, 28-29) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Houston.
ANALYSIS
This fight was closer than the scorecards would lead you to believe. There's absolutely no way Delija didn't win Round 2. He pinned Spivac along the fence and landed countless massive blows. Unfortunately, they were his only real notable offensive power shots of the fight. The fact Delija lost to Spivac in what was essentially a 15-minute kickboxing match is the concerning part. Ante will be 36 years of age in August. He has legitimate thunder in his hands, but brings little else to the table at this stage of his career. Toss in his durability issues (five career KO defeats), and little should be expected moving forward from the former PFL standout.
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Bout moved to Houston
HeavyweightUFC
December 14, 2025
Delija will face Serghei Spivac at UFC Houston on February 21, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
The bout was originally slated to take place at UFC 325 on January 21, but it has since been moved to late February. The 35-year-old Croatian fighter will head into the bout looking to bounce back from his first UFC loss at the hands of Waldo Cortes-Acosta in November.
Fighting early in 2026
HeavyweightUFC
December 14, 2025
Delija will face Serghei Spivac in a heavyweight matchup at UFC 325 on Jan. 31, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Delija has been kill-or-be-killed through two UFC fights, as he finished Marcin Tybura in the first round in his September debut but followed that up with a first-round loss to Waldo Cortes Acosta two months later. He now draws Spivac, a veteran with a wrestling-based attack who has fallen on tough times lately, dropping back-to-back fights. Both men stack up identically in terms of height and reach.
Finished in strange ending
HeavyweightUFC
November 1, 2025
Delija lost to Waldo Cortes-Acosta via KO (punches) at 3:59 of Round 1 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
This one will be talked about for a while. Delija pinned Cortes-Acosta along the fence a little over three minutes into the fight and unloaded with everything but the kitchen sink. Referee Mark Smith eventually stepped in, and Delija appeared to have won. Waldo complained about an eye poke during the sequence, and upon review, it was confirmed. The fight was eventually restarted and Delija was knocked out just seconds later. It was just Delija's second UFC fight, so the setback isn't the end of the world, but at age 35, he simply cannot afford to be giving away any fights.
Will fight Cortes-Acosta
HeavyweightUFC
September 19, 2025
Delija will fight Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC Vegas 110 on Nov. 1, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Delija is coming off a debut win against Marcin Tybura in September via TKO (punches). His opponent, Cortes-Acosta, is coming off a loss against Sergei Pavlovich in August, but he had won his previous five bouts.
Shines in UFC debut
HeavyweightUFC
September 6, 2025
Delija defeated Marcin Tybura via TKO (punches) at 2:03 of Round 1 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Paris.
ANALYSIS
A member of the PFL roster since 2021, Delija signed with the UFC in June and made his company debut here against Tybura. He wasted zero time in making an immediate impact. Delija isn't a technical fighter and his durability is questionable, but the power is real and he can end a fight in an instant if his opposition doesn't bother to slow down his forward advancements which Tybura failed to do this evening. Delija is 35 years old already and his inconsistent results late in his PFL run suggest he may have some problems stringing together victories at the highest level, but this was a good start.