Sep 6, 2025; Paris, FRANCE; Marcin Tybura (red gloves) before the fight against Ante Delija (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

Is Ante Delija The UFC Heavyweight Division’s Next Big Star?

Originally posted on Stadium Rant | By Andre Castillo | Last updated Sep 8, 2025 12:00 PM ET

Ante Delija has finally arrived in the UFC, making his promotional debut on Saturday with a monstrous knockout of Marcin Tybura. The moment had been a long time coming for the Croatian, who had been supposed to join nearly five years ago.

And in a heavyweight division that badly needs new contenders, Delija might become one of the fastest risers it has ever seen…

A Dream Come True

As stated before, Delija has been linked to the UFC before – in 2020, when he was supposed to fight future interim champion Ciryl Gane. At the time, he was on a three-win streak after a severe leg injury while challenging Tybura for the M-1 heavyweight title threatened to end his fighting career.

There was just one problem, however: the PFL. Delija’s second win since his return had occurred there, and the third-largest MMA promotion at the time asserted his contractual obligations to them. And so there he stayed, eventually winning the 2022 heavyweight tournament.

Afterward, Delija would split his next two fights beating Maurice Greene but losing to Valentin Moldavsky. Then, he became a free agent. He joined Fight Nation Championship, knocked out UFC veteran Yorgan De Castro in under a minute, and got his call.

Strapping The Rocket

Delija’s win on Saturday is very impressive for two reasons. First, it was a rematch of the fight where he broke his leg and nearly saw his fighting career end. Second, Tybura was ranked seventh at the time.

The second circumstance should immediately put Delija in the the heavyweight Top 10 when the rankings are updated. As for his next fight, he has plenty of options.

Waldo Cortes-Acosta was last seen trying to enter the Top 5 against Sergei Pavlovich, but a unanimous decision loss set him back. Fighting Delija represents a massive opportunity to retain his standing.

Curtis Blaydes is coming off turning back a debuting Rizvan Kuniev at Baku to maintain his ranking. He has said he will not be fighting again this year because of a knee injury, so a headliner/main-card fight against Delija will be a momentous way to begin 2026.

End Of My Ante Delija Rant

That, of course, is not to mention the ultimate prize: the heavyweight title. Tom Aspinall commences a new era with a blockbuster defense against Ciryl Gane, and one of Alexander Volkov and Jailton Almeida will assuredly be next.

In the meantime, Delija just has to notch an impressive win or two to make himself undeniable – just as his compatriot Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic did many years ago…

This article first appeared on Stadium Rant and was syndicated with permission.

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