November the 26th, 2022 - Ante Delija wins not only an enviable title, but a huge sum of cash across the pond in the Big Apple.

Croatian MMA heavyweight fighter, Ante Delija, won the 2022 PFL Heavyweight Champion title after defeating Brazilian Matheus Scheffel in the first round. With this victory, he managed to go one step further than last season, when he was defeated in the final of the PFL tournament.

Delija positioned himself dominantly and confidently from the start of the fight and took a position in the middle, after which the boxing exchanges began. Delija hits first with a nice combination of crochets to the body and head. Scheffel started to try his jab, but had trouble getting in on the bigger and taller Delija. Delija's first real blow came to Scheffel after a minute and a half, when he hit a right crochet, and the Brazilian staggered for a moment.

Coming out of the second minute, Delija tried a takedown, which he failed, but he managed to control the clinch against the fence of the arena. That didn't last long, and in the middle of the round, the fighters returned to clean boxing in the middle of the cage when they gave each other a fair number of punches. Ante hit again better, this time with a left hook and Scheffel staggered. Delija sensed it and attacked him with all his power, and then sent his opponent to the floor with a few more punches winning by technical knockout in the middle of the first round (2:50 minutes). With this, he achieved a huge victory, one of the biggest in the history of the Croatian MMA.

The PFL heavyweight title and a check for a million dollars are in the hands of a great fighter from Dubrovnik, to whom we congratulate on this magnificent victory ✌️✌️

For more, follow our sport section.

November the 25th, 2022 - Croat Ante Delija is set to meet Matheus Scheffel soon...

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is the first and only MMA league with a true sports-season format where elite fighters from around the world compete in a Regular Season, Playoffs and Championship. The four competitors in each division who earn the most points in the Regular Season advance to the win-or-go-home Playoffs, followed by the biggest night in MMA – the PFL World Championship – with each winner going home with the $1 million prize. The 2022 PFL World Championship, which is taking place at the Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden, New York City today, November 25. The main card will include six championship bouts that will crown winners $1 million each. The main card will stream on ESPN+ PPV for $49.99 at 8:00pm, EST Time.

Croatian heavyweight MMA fighter Ante Delija will meet Brazil’s Matheus Scheffel for the heavyweight title in the featured bout. Originally from Dubrovnik, Delija has been training with Mirko Cro Cop Filipović and his team in Zagreb. At the pre-fight press conference on Wednesday, he reflected on last year's championship and the fact that he lost in the final - "I think last year I was at 50-60 percent of my capabilities. I consider the second place a failure, but this year I am ready to win, and I believe in it.'' He was also a special live guest at the Croatian Radio New York, which is organizing Ante Delija Watch & Meet Party at the Tracks Raw Bar and Grill across Madison Square Garden. “I am at 100% of my capabilities this season and I will win!” – said Ante for the Croatian Radio NY. After the press conference, the faceoffs followed. Delija and Scheffel handled the faceoff calmly, without any tensions. “Ante writes the new pages of the Croatian sports history. His achievements are amazing and inspiring. He is a favorite and the New York Croats expect his victory!” - said Srecko Mavrek, the Croatian Radio NY host.

You can watch the faceoff between Delia and Scheffel (starts at 48:00 min) in the YouTube video HERE.

Inside Look at PFL 2022 Championship Fighters

The PFL’s YouTube channel has released a Vlog Series for the 2022 PFL World Championship, which you can view HERE.

August 16, 2020 - In their third and final meeting, American legend Daniel Cormier beaten by Croat Stipe Miocic at UFC 252

It was billed as the super fight to end them all. And for good reason. When the two greatest heavyweights to have ever competed in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) met earlier today, they knew it would be for the final time. One would leave the ring as the undisputed champion in the category. That was Croat Stipe Miocic. His opponent, Cormier, stepped out to retirement.

"They're the two best ever," said UFC president Dana White before the fight. "You'll find out who's the best heavyweight of all time. It doesn't get any better than this." The bombastic claim was not without merit. The two fighters both had a considerable track record and a score to settle. Each had won in one of their previous two meetings. This was the decider.

37-year-old Croat Stipe Miocic began the match as a two-time and existing heavyweight champion, having started his second reign when he defeated Cormier in August 2019 at UFC 241. In his first reign, he held the title for 26 months, defending the belt a record number of three times before the American legend Cormier beat him in July 2018. In his decade-long career in UFC, he has scored 13 wins over 3 losses, although he subsequently went on to beat two of the three opponents who had succeeded against him.

Having also competed in the light heavyweight category, 41-year-old Cormier is the first athlete to have successfully defended titles in two different UFC weight classes and is regarded as one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in UFC history. Prior to his iconic 10-year stint in UFC, Cormier was a two-time US Olympian and captain of the 2008 Olympic wrestling team. He had stated before the match that this was to be his final fight. In reply, Miocic, who also works for the Valley View Fire Department in Ohio said simply, "We have unfinished business."

The meeting was the eagerly-anticipated main event of UFC 252 and took place at the UFC APEX complex in Las Vegas. Usually, the fighters would have been awash with the roars and cheers of thousands of fans. But, due to social distancing regulations, on this occasion the audience was absent. That didn't stop millions from tuning in at home.

The age difference between the fighters was a negligible factor; in their last meeting, it took Croat Stipe Miocic until the fourth round to knock out Cormier. In the 2018 match, Cormier had knocked down Miocic to win in only the first round. But ultimately, the best of three was to be a night of success for the Croat Stipe Miocic, whose father is from Rtina in Dalmatia, his mother from Cetingrad in Karlovac county.


Youtube screenshot of Croat Stipe Miocic landing a punch

The fighters ended the first round evenly, Cormier landing the round's most powerful blow and also trapping the Croat in a headlock. But, Miocic's extra reach helped him land more punches.

In round two, Cormier's jabs frustrated Miocic for the first few minutes, but Miocic managed to land two killer right hooks to the American's head and he fell to the ground. With seconds left to go, the American got off lightly.

In comparison, the third round was more subdued, but when Cormier finished with a debilitating eye injury, both fighters entered the fourth round with a renewed determination. At the end, both appeared so strong that it looked like the fight would go the full five rounds. And it did.

The fifth round showed why MMA is in a class of its own, the fighters employing a mixture of fearsome boxing and grappling wrestling. Showing some of the steely determination that had previously helped him triumph over UFC champions Junior Dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum and Andrei Arlovski, Miocic managed to sustain his excellent strike rate and the Croat's extra reach ultimately proved too effective. When the judges' scores were returned, it was Miocic who had prevailed and retained his title belt. Though they were ringing to draw the faithful to church, there seemed to be a celebratory tone to the bells of Zagreb as they sounded out just moments later.

Mirko Filipović is the latest mixed martial arts man to join the Bellator 200 in London this May.