One of Tom Aspinall’s teammates is heading to the Octagon for a big heavyweight matchup.
With Jon Jones retired, Aspinall is looking to move on and keep the heavyweight division active now that he’s the undisputed champion.
One of the biggest issues with heavyweight right now is that there aren’t many new names being added into the mix, meaning that many of the top fighters have been there for some time.
The division is already home to one of Aspinall’s training partners, Mick Parkin, but now, another member of their team is looking to make his mark in the UFC.
Several exciting European talents were recently signed to the promotion with arguably the most recognisable new name being Croatia’s Ante Delija.
Ante Delija booked for a rematch with Marcin Tybura on his UFC debut in Paris
Ante Delija emerged on the global stage following the success that he achieved in the PFL.
Under the tutelage of MMA legend Mirko Cro Cop, the Croatian won the 2022 PFL Heavyweight Tournament by beating the likes of Matheus Scheffel and Renan Ferreira.
He last fought for the promotion in April of 2024 before making his exit, which then led to him beating former UFC fighter Yorgan De Castro in just 41 seconds at FNC 22.
Delija has been training with Tom Aspinall and several other notable heavyweights, such as Mick Parkin and Phil De Fries, for some time but now, he’s set to debut inside the Octagon.
Pawel Wyrobek reported that on September 6 at UFC Paris, Delija will face Marcin Tybura, who currently occupies the #7-ranking in the division.
Tybura is coming off of back-to-back wins having beaten Parkin last time out in March, which their team will be keen to avenge later this year.
Tom Aspinall’s team will be well prepared for Ante Delija to face Marcin Tybura
Between three fighters in the gym who have previously faced his next opponent, Ante Delija is going to be very well prepared for Marcin Tybura.
For a start, the two men have already faced each other once before, though a lot has changed since their first meeting in 2015 where Delija suffered a first-round loss due to a leg injury.
Some believed that Mick Parkin deserved to get his hand raised over Tybura earlier this year after the Brit came out on the wrong side of a unanimous decision.
Last but not least, Tom Aspinall ran right through Tybura in 2023, stopping the Polish veteran in just over a minute in his return to the Octagon following a horrific leg injury.