Ante Delija reacts to Tom Aspinall’s refusal to fight him, defends teammate against skeptics of UFC 321 injuries

Surging UFC heavyweight Ante Delija responded to Tom Aspinall’s promise that he’ll vacate the belt if the matchmakers offer them a future title fight.

UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall’s first title defense ended in a no-contest last weekend at UFC 321. Just minutes into his fight with Ciryl Gane, Aspinall was hit with multiple eye pokes, which left him unable to continue fighting.

As Aspinall begins his recovery process and undergoes further testing, his rising-star teammate will take the spotlight this weekend at UFC Vegas 110. Ante Delija, who knocked out Marcin Tybura in his promotional debut earlier this year, will face Waldo Cortes-Acosta in a high-profile heavyweight clash.

In the days since UFC 321, Aspinall has been hit by a storm of criticism from many top names, including Aljamain Sterling and TJ Dillashaw. Delija came to his teammate’s defense ahead of his second UFC outing.

Ante Delija: Tom Aspinall did ‘a great job’ in deciding not to continue at UFC 321

During his UFC Vegas 110 pre-fight press conference, Delija reacted to Aspinall’s recent remarks.

A quick TKO in the debut 😮‍💨

Ante Delija is searching for another knockout this weekend!

[ #UFCVegas110 | NOV 1 | 7pmET on the @ESPN app ] pic.twitter.com/vWAFEUZH58

— UFC (@ufc) October 28, 2025

“I think he did a great job with not continuing, and if more fighters do the same thing, I think we can prevent the same thing from happening again,” Delija said of Aspinall.

“Absolutely, 100 percent. More fighters should do the same thing, and more fighters should be punished for behaving that way. I have 33 fights and I never poked someone in the eye, and I believe the punishment for that should be severe.”

Aspinall made headlines ahead of UFC 321 when he declared he’d vacate the heavyweight title instead of fighting Delija, who is on the verge of title contention. Delija was asked to respond to Aspinall’s remarks ahead of his second UFC appearance.

“He’s a really, really dear friend of mine. And I do believe with that statement, he showed his character,” Delija said.

“I also wouldn’t fight against him for the belt.”