A former PFL heavyweight champ met a former Bellator MMA interim heavyweight champion atop Thursday’s PFL 1 card in San Antonio, Texas.
That showdown saw “Walking Trouble,” a.k.a. Ante Delija, face off with Valentin Moldavsky, a member of Fedor Team, headed up by the legendary Fedor Emelianenko. Ex-PFL champ Delija’s own coach, Mirko Cro-Cop, was a legend in his own right and an old rival of Fedor, adding to the stakes of this main event fight.
It was a stand-up battle early in the PFL 1 main event, and when the finish came, it was an incredibly explosive one. In a career-defining performance, Moldavsky connected with a body kick in the opening moments of the round. A short time later, the Russian opened up, drilling the body, launching shots upstairs, and firing knees to Delija as the Croatian covered up.
Delija, already bloodied, slumped over, eating ferocious knees and heavy blows at such a rate that the referee had no choice but to step in and wave off the affair. Very much like a powder keg erupting, Valentin Moldavsky suddenly had six points to his name in the PFL heavyweight tournament.
For Delija, the loss is his first since 2021 and snaps a five-fight win streak the former champ had compiled.
Official Result: Valentin Moldavsky def. Ante Delija by TKO, Round 1, 2:17
