Having dealt with a stint on the sidelines due to injury, former PFL heavyweight champ Ante Delija returns to action on Thursday, April 4, 2024 looking to secure another shot at gold.
Known as “Walking Trouble,” Delija (24-5) won it all in 2022, claiming the title and million dollars in purse money through the course of the season. In 2022, however, Delija was bounced from the season after a single bout, a decision win over UFC alum Maurice Greene.
Delija touched on the injury he suffered in that bout while speaking with Cageside Press and other media outlets during this week’s 2024 PFL 1 media day.
“When I fought last time with Maurice Greene, I broke my leg and [tore] two muscles. But recovery was fast,” he stated. “After eight weeks, I was back in the gym and started working again, improving my skills”
That leg break came “in the first minute of the fight,” leaving Delija to contend with “The Crochet Boss” with a broken leg for “eleven minutes,” he added.
Delija returns to a very different looking PFL in 2024. The league’s acquisition of Bellator MMA means a number of athletes from that organization have joined the regular season this year. Including Delija’s first regular season foe, Valentin Moldavsky.
“Of course I’m looking forward to new faces,” Delija said on that front. “I’m in my prime, and I want to fight as [much of the] best competition as I can get.”
Despite that influx of fresh faces, however, Delija doesn’t see himself as holding any advantage due to his experience.
“When I came to PFL, it was the first time for me so I don’t think it’s an advantage or disadvantage,” opined Delija. “We’re all professionals, and obviously they will be motivated to win this thing as well.”
Watch the full 2024 PFL 1 media day appearance by Ante Delija above.
