Croatian heavyweight Ante Delija steps into the UFC Octagon for the second time this Saturday at UFC Vegas 110, taking on fellow power-puncher Waldo Cortes-Acosta in a matchup tailor-made for violence.
Delija, a former PFL champion with a reputation for suffocating pressure and finishing instincts, now has the chance to make a statement at the UFC APEX against Cortes-Acosta.
“I have to be very careful because of his strong knockout power. He weighs 120 kilograms, so I don’t think I have to get very close to him,” Delija told reporters on Wednesday.
“I’ve really been practicing a lot with my coach. I really believe I’m a better fighter and that I will win. I’m going to focus on staying strong.”
Delia (26-6) trains with UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. Aspinall’s second title defense ended in disappointment after an accidental eye poke resulted in the fight being ruled a no-contest, a result that drew heavy criticism from some fans for his decision not to go ahead.
“I think he did a great job not continuing, and if more fighters do the same, I think we can prevent the same thing from happening again,” he said.
“More fighters should do the same, and more fighters should be punished for behaving like this. I’ve had 33 fights and I’ve never poked anyone in the eye. The punishment for (committing fouls) should be severe.”
Delija noted that Aspinall’s eye is still not fully healed, although he is unsure of the exact diagnosis or timeline for the champion’s recovery.
“I’m not 100% sure what it is, but he still has no vision in one of his eyes. Still not fully recovered,” he said.
Regardless of how the first fight ended, Delija has no doubt that his teammate will beat Gane in the rematch and retain the title.
“In my opinion, Tom is a better fighter overall, and I saw that in that fight,” Delija said.
“I believe he will definitely win in the next fight.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Ante Delija above. He will face Waldo Cortes-Acosta on Saturday night at UFC Vegas 110.
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