Ante Delija’s second UFC look led to controversy on November 1, 2025, when a technicality involving an eye fixed poke and subsequent replay assessment in the end value the Croatian heavyweight a possible victory. Preventing Waldo Cortes-Acosta within the co-main occasion at UFC Battle Evening 263, Delija appeared to safe a first-round stoppage, solely to have the choice overturned after officers reviewed footage of an unintended eye poke, resulting in the battle’s resumption and his subsequent knockout loss at 3:59 of the primary spherical.
Ante Delija vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta and The Eye Poke
Delija, riding momentum from his UFC debut knockout victory over Marcin Tybura in September, dominated the early exchanges towards the sixth-ranked Cortes-Acosta. Throughout an aggressive alternate, Delija’s finger made contact with Cortes-Acosta’s eye as he unleashed a mixture, adopted by a flurry of strikes that pressured referee Mark Smith to intervene. Smith’s motion initially appeared to indicate the battle’s conclusion.
Nevertheless, the state of affairs took an sudden flip when officers from the Nevada Athletic Fee reviewed video footage. Government Director Jeff Mullen and referee Eric McMahon examined replays that clearly confirmed an eye fixed poke had occurred earlier than the knockout punches. Below UFC guidelines, an unintentional eye poke can lead to both a no-contest or the chance for the fouled fighter to proceed after receiving as much as 5 minutes of restoration time. Cortes-Acosta, regardless of severely restricted imaginative and prescient in his injured eye, selected to proceed.
Following the restart, Cortes-Acosta instantly utilized pressure, touchdown a exactly timed counter proper hand that dropped Delija. The Dominican fighter adopted with floor strikes till Smith stopped the competition, awarding Cortes-Acosta the victory and a Efficiency of the Evening bonus. Cortes-Acosta later defined his resolution to proceed in an interview: “I felt like I may proceed. My eye is like 20 % imaginative and prescient however I don’t give a f***.”
Ante Delija Responds
Delija’s response got here via Instagram posts on November 2, by which he outlined 5 particular grievances relating to the officiating and ruleset software.
“I’m unsure if I hit him within the eye, I believe it’s close to the attention and naturally I need a video the place you may see that sting appropriately.”
“The referee didn’t present ‘time-out’, however stopped the battle and due to this fact declared me the winner. That call can’t be modified later!”
“The opponent sat and relaxed while watching the footage for more than a few minutes!”
According to Delija, Cortes-Acosta received an extended recovery period during the replay consultation, giving him time to psychologically reset and physically recuperate beyond what would normally occur during a standard fight timeout.
“Replay used after the interruption – which rules do not allow!!”
Concluding his statement, Delija emphasized: “I ask for nothing more, just honesty. I don’t run from defeat. I respect every opponent and every outcome. But not when rules are broken and I’ve been robbed.”
The incident carried particular irony given Delija’s pre-fight comments. Earlier in the week at media day, Delija had criticized the eye poke issue directly, stating he had competed 33 times without committing a single eye poke and that punishments for such infractions should be severe. This statement proved prescient in an unintended manner.
The timing of the controversy compounded questions about UFC officiating standards. The event occurred just seven days after Tom Aspinall’s heavyweight title defense against Ciryl Gane ended in a no-contest following a double eye poke within the first spherical at UFC 321. Aspinall was unable to proceed after the harm and couldn’t resume preventing,.
Cortes-Acosta’s knockout marked his first win in his final seven outings, enhancing his document considerably following an August loss to Sergei Pavlovich. For Delija, the defeat snapped a two-fight successful streak within the UFC and marked a controversial finish to what was shaping as a powerful run for the 35-year-old former PFL heavyweight champion, who had beforehand educated alongside UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall at Evolution Health XL in the UK.
