After rocking Carl Seumanutafa early, Ante Delija elected to go to the clinch for a three-point victory at PFL 3 2019.
Ante Delija is a massive 6’5″ Croatian is set to make his PFL debut after a victory in RIZIN last year. Prior to that win, Delija was sidelined for nearly three years with a leg injury. “Walking Trouble” has an impressive 15-3 record with seven submissions and five knockouts. Delija has notable wins over Ricco Rodriguez and Valentijn Overeem, and has shared the cage with Marcin Tybura.
Carl Seumanutafa replaced 3-0 Australian prospect Ben Edwards on the PFL 2019 heavyweight roster after an injury. The Samoan brings a lot more experience to the table, owning a 13-9 record with fights in both Bellator and Strikeforce. Seumanutafa had a 1-2 record in Bellator from 2016 to 2017 with a win over Javy Ayala and a loss to Matt Mitrione. Since then, the 29-year-old is 2-1 with a pair of stoppages, last appearing in April of this year.
Ante Delija started the fight with a jab that stunned Seumanutafa. Delija pounded him with several hard punches and scored a takedown. Seumanutafa resisted with a whizzer, but Delija isolated an arm and took mount. Seumanutafa rolled out into guard, where Delija punished him with heavy ground-and-pound. Delija dropped a hammerfist through an upkick, forcing Seumanutafa to expose his back. The round ended with Seumanutafa on all fours pinned against the cage.
Delija bumrushed Seumanutafa to start the round, pushing his opponent to the fence. The fight returned to the center of the cage briefly, as Seumanutafa landed a leg kick before Delija floored him with a straight and trip, holding him down in guard. Delija postured up, dropped a hammerfist and took the back again. Seumanutafa worked his way to his feet, where the referee separated them. Nothing of note took place after the separation.
Delija shot for a takedown to start the final round, but Delija stuffed him beautifully. Delija went to the clinch against the cage, then went for a trip that Seumanutafa defended with a whizzer. Back to the clinch they went, and the referee was forced to separate them again. Delija went to the clinch again, seemingly content to ride out the fight on the fence to get three points.
Ante Delija def. Carl Seumanutafa by Unanimous Decision (30-26 x2, 30-27)
Check out the rest of the results from PFL 3 2019 here!
