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Ante Delija made the most of his second chance to become heavyweight champion with a blistering first-round knockout over Matheus Scheffel at the PFL Championship card on Friday.
It was actually Delija’s second win over Scheffel after he dispatched the Brazilian in similar fashion earlier in the season.
This time around, Delija had to be a bit more methodical with his approach but the result was still the same as he kept waiting for the perfect time to unleash his best strikes against a shorter opponent, who was also at a reach disadvantage.
The end came after Delija pressed forward and trapped Scheffel agains the cage as he unleashed a barrage of shots in rapid-fire succession. Each punch just chipped away at Scheffel’s defense until he crumbled to the mat with the referee rushing in to stop the contest.
The official stoppage came at 2:50 in the opening round.
“I wasn’t home for two months, I’m finally going back home,” Delija said afterwards. “I’m so happy to come home now. Tonight, I’m back and I’m so grateful.”
Delija has been a mainstay on the PFL roster but he came up short in his previous bid to become champion after losing a unanimous decision to Bruno Cappelozza in 2021.
Now he stands tall on top of the heavyweight mountain while also celebrating as the first ever Croatian to capture a championship in the PFL in what was also his fourth consecutive win in a row in the promotion.
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