UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall was left with tears in his eyes earlier today (Sat., Sept. 6, 2025) at UFC Paris LIVE on ESPN+ from inside Accor Arena in Paris, France, after witnessing his main sparring partner, Ante Delija, capture a first-round TKO win in his official UFC debut.
Aspinall, who nearly got booed out of Paris earlier this week, was sitting front row and center to watch Delija’s first trip to the Octagon. The heavyweight king has been working with Delija leading up to his UFC crossover from Professional Fighters League (PFL) and was hoping to see his friend deliver on arrival. That’s exactly what Delija did as he stopped UFC heavyweight veteran Marcin Tybura with a blistering first-round knockout.
Check out the finish below:
Delija, who was supposed to make his UFC debut all the way back in 2020 on “Fight Island,” came into Saturday’s fight with something to prove. He’s been very successful under the PFL banner over the past four years, but he needed to put on a performance to showcase his top level ability as a member of the UFC roster.
Needless to say, Delija was very emotional after his knockout victory and it led to Aspinall tearing up cageside as well. It was an all-around good moment.
For complete UFC Paris results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.