UFC Vegas 110 was anything but a typical card for the promotion to begin a stretch of four consecutive events in November.
In the co-headliner, Tom Aspinall’s teammate, Ante Delija, had a would-be victory arguably stolen from him when a barrage of punches to Waldo Cortes-Acosta accidentally included an inadvertent rough eye poke that halted he fight midway through the opening round.
Delija (26-7 MMA) posted to Instagram Stories following the eventual TKO loss to Cortes-Acosta (15-2 MMA), citing confusion toward the commission and referee, Mark Smith, for why the fight was restarted to begin with.
Sep 6, 2025; Paris, FRANCE; Ante Delija (blue gloves) reacts after the fight against Marcin Tybura (red gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-Imagn Images / Per Haljestam-Imagn Images
“I’m not sure if I hit him in the eye, I think it’s near the eye, and of course, I want a video where you can see that stab,” Delija wrote, translation via MMAFighting. “The referee did not show ‘time-out,’ but stopped the fight and therefore declared me the winner. That decision cannot be changed later! The opponent sat and relaxed while watching the footage! Replay used after the interruption – which rules do not allow!! After all, the fight continued irregularly!”
Delija went further on a deeper rant, simply requesting accountability for what occurred.
“I ask for nothing more, just honesty,” Delija wrote. “I don’t run from defeat. I respect every opponent and every outcome. But not when rules are broken and I’m robbed. Not in this way. The sport hasn’t seen this yet!!!”
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Nov 11, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Tom Aspinall (blue gloves) reacts to beating Sergei Pavlovich (red gloves) during UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Delija was previously unbeaten in the UFC and had been previously linked to a potential fight with Aspinall, should the England native remain the UFC Heavyweight Champion. Aspinall (15-3, 1 NC MMA) publicly stated he wouldn’t fight Delija, which made UFC CEO Dana White livid.
“I hate that,” White told TNT Sports UK before UFC 321. “Many friends, relatives have all fought each other before. To even think about vacating it because you don’t wanna compete against somebody is absolutely insane.”
Delija came to Aspinall’s defense after Aspinall was unable to continue in his eventual No Contest against Ciryl Gane (13-2, 1 NC).
“I really don’t understand,” Delija told reporters via translator, leading up to the Cortes-Acosta fight. “I had 33 fights and I never poked somebody in the eye, and I do believe the punishment for that should be severe.”
Delija says he respects Aspinall’s wishes to not fight him, if the scenario became evident.
“He is really, really dear friend of mine and I do believe with that statement he really showed his character,” Delija said. “I would also not fight against him for the belt.”
For now, though, Delija tries to get answers as his road to a title shot will have to wait a bit longer.
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