Ante Delija

Ante Delija, a 6'3" Croatian heavyweight with an orthodox stance, holds a 26-8-0 professional record and has posted a 1-2 mark in his last three UFC outings. The 33-year-old operates as a pure striker with limited grappling ambitions, landing 4.28 strikes per minute at 38% accuracy while absorbing 3.95 strikes per minute and defending 52% of incoming strikes.

Delija's takedown metrics reveal a pure stand-up fighter: zero takedown attempts averaged over his career with a 75% defense rate, indicating opponents rarely commit to bringing him down. His recent form has been inconsistent—he opened 2025 with a dominant first-round knockout of Marcin Tybura in just 63 seconds, but subsequently suffered back-to-back losses to Waldo Cortes Acosta (first-round TKO, November 2025) and Serghei Spivac (unanimous decision, February 2026).

The Spivac loss particularly exposed his defensive limitations, as he was unable to mount offense over three rounds against a superior grappler. Delija remains a dangerous heavy-handed striker capable of ending fights early, but his inability to defend takedowns or control fights on the ground has become a critical liability in the heavyweight division.