Ante Delija’s second UFC look was controversial on November 1, 2025, with technical points involving a watch poke and subsequent replay assessment in the end costing Croatian heavyweight Ante Delija any likelihood of victory. Dealing with Waldo Cortez-Acosta within the co-main occasion of UFC Combat Evening 263, Delija appeared to safe a first-round stoppage, however the choice was overturned after officers reviewed footage of an unintentional eye poke, and the bout was restarted earlier than shedding by knockout at 3:59 of the primary spherical.
Ante Delija vs. Waldo Cortez-Acosta & The I Poke
Driving on the momentum of his UFC debut knockout win over Marcin Tybura in September, Derija dominated the early exchanges with No. 6 ranked Cortez Acosta. Throughout a heated change, Delia’s finger touched Cortez-Acosta’s eye as he fired a mixture, and a flurry of blows adopted, forcing referee Mark Smith to intervene. Smith’s actions initially appeared to imply an finish to the combating.
However issues took an sudden flip after Nevada State Athletic Fee officers reviewed the video footage. Govt director Jeff Mullen and referee Eric McMahon checked out replays that clearly confirmed that a watch poke occurred earlier than the knockout punch. Below UFC guidelines, an unintentional eye poke can lead to a no-contest or permit the fouled fighter as much as 5 minutes to recuperate earlier than persevering with. Cortes-Acosta selected to proceed working regardless of severely restricted imaginative and prescient in his injured eye.
After the restart, Cortez-Acosta instantly utilized strain and landed a proper counter with exact timing to drop Delija. The Dominican fighter continued the bottom assault till Smith stopped the bout, giving Cortez-Acosta the victory and Efficiency of the Evening bonus. Cortez-Acosta later defined his choice to proceed, saying in an interview: “I felt like I may proceed. My eyesight is about 20 %, however I do not go AF***.”
Ante Delha’s reply
Mr. Deliya responded through an Instagram put up on Nov. 2, by which he outlined 5 particular complaints concerning the moderator and the ruleset utility.
“I do not know if I punched him within the eye, however I feel it was close to the attention. And naturally I would wish to see a video that reveals precisely the stab wound.”
“The referee didn’t name a ‘timeout’ however stopped the match and declared me the winner. That call can’t be modified later!”
“My opponent sat and relaxed watching the footage for quite a lot of minutes!”
In line with Delja, Cortez-Acosta obtained an prolonged restoration interval in the course of the replay session, giving him time to reset psychologically and recuperate bodily past the time that may usually happen throughout a regular sport timeout.
“Replay used after interruption – not allowed by guidelines!!”
“In spite of everything, the battle continued irregularly!”
In concluding his assertion, Mr. Deliya emphasised: “I do not ask for something extra. I solely ask for honesty. I do not run away from defeat. I respect each opponent and each outcome. However not when the foundations are damaged and robbed.”
The incident was particularly ironic contemplating Delia’s pregame feedback. At Media Day earlier within the week, Deliya straight criticized the attention poke concern, saying he has performed 33 instances with out ever doing a watch poke and that the penalties for such violations ought to be harsh. This assertion was inadvertently prescient.
The timing of the controversy additional raised questions concerning the UFC’s officiating requirements. This incident occurred simply seven days after Tom Aspinall’s heavyweight title protection towards Cyril Gane resulted in a no contest within the first spherical of UFC 321. Aspinall was unable to proceed and was unable to renew the match after the damage.
Cortez Acosta’s knockout marked his first win in his final seven fights and considerably improved his file since shedding to Sergei Pavlovich in August. The loss was a controversial one for Deliyah, ending his UFC win streak at two and ending the 35-year-old former PFL heavyweight champion’s outstanding run. Deliya beforehand educated with UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall at Evolution Health XL within the UK.
