Ante Delija Thanks Tom Aspinall After Successful UFC Debut

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Ante Delija expressed his gratitude towards the heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall after his successful UFC debut on Saturday. 

Delija looked to avenge a loss dating back 10 years when he made his Octagon debut against Marcin Tybura at UFC Paris on Saturday. Delija had suffered a leg injury loss against Tybura back in 2015, leaving him sidelined for three years. “Walking Trouble” scored a first-round knockout win over Tybura to earn himself a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus. The 35-year-old broke down, overwhelmed with emotions after securing his well-deserved UFC win. Delija subsequently thanked his sparring partner Aspinall and his father, Andy, the head coach at Aspinall BJJ.

“Thank you French. Thank you my friends who come here to support me. Thank you for family, Aspinall, thank you Andy, Tom,” Delija said in his post-fight interview. “Thank you for my coach. Thank you for my wife. 

Delija now resides in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, to train at Aspinall’s gym. The Croatian claims getting “smashed” by Aspinall in recent months was much harder than his UFC debut.

Delija: Training Was Harder Than the Fight

“Sorry French. I work with this animal [Aspinall] for one years and half, smash me everyday,” Delija said. “ Hey, training is too much harder than this fight. Believe me.” 

Delija mostly competed in the Professional Fighters League since his loss against Tybura, even winning the $1 million tournament in the heavyweight category in 2022. Delija parted ways with the PFL earlier this year and joined the UFC after one fight on the regional circuit.