Former PFL heavyweight champ Ante Delija made his octagon debut at UFC Paris, in a high-profile match-up with Marcin Tybura.
Getting a name like Tybura was an indicator of how highly the UFC regarded Delija. The other tell? The promotion had tried to sign him once before, only for the PFL to retain his services instead.
Before long on Saturday, Delija had lived up to his nickname, proving that he was “Walking Trouble,” at the very least for Marcin Tybura. Delija came out blistering, immediately marching Tybura down with a heavy combination that forced him to shell up. Tybura managed to turn the momentum briefly by pressing Delija against the cage and shooting in deep for a takedown, but Delija’s defense held strong.
Once they returned to open space, Delija connected with a sharp shovel left hand and unleashed another barrage, sealing an impressive UFC debut victory. The fight took just over two minutes, and Delija was clearly emotional afterwards, falling to his knees.
In his post-fight interview, the Croatian heavyweight spoke to coming back from an Anderson Silva-style broken leg to make it to the UFC, and thanks everyone from his team to the promotion to UFC heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall, who was in attendance at the Accor Arena.
Official Result: Ante Delija def. Marcin Tybura by TKO (punches), Round 1, 2:03
