UFC Fight Night 263: Ante Delija vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta bolsters card

A new fight has been announced for UFC Fight Night 263, and it will meaningfully inform the heavyweight hierarchy heading into 2026.

Ante Delija already has his next octagon trip booked shortly after garnering his recent UFC debut win. The former PFL standout will clash with Waldo Cortes-Acosta in a massive match-up set for November 1st. This high-stakes clash will emanate from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The promotion announced this bout earlier today, following an initial spotlighting of the bout that was first reported on by MMA Latinoamerica.

Croatia, show Big Ante some love 🗣️ ❤️ #UFCVegas110

🇩🇴 Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs Ante Delija 🇭🇷 pic.twitter.com/BNvtl5CfXn

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 19, 2025

UFC Fight Night 263 and the paths of both heavyweight fighters

UFC Fight Night 263 will represent Cortes-Acosta’s fourth trip to the cage this calendar year. Cortes-Acosta looks to hand Mirko Cro Cop’s protege his first UFC-specific loss. ‘Salsa Boy’ is a former LFA champion and Cortes-Acosta looks to get back into the win column after having a lengthy winning streak snapped.

Prior to his recent loss to Sergei Pavlovich, Cortes-Acosta put together a five-fight winning streak. That victorious stretch featured notable wins over Serghei Spivac and Andrei Arlovski to name but a couple.

It was already mentioned that Delija made waves in the PFL. But he also cut his teeth on circuits like KSW and Rizin before his recent signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Delija is also a regular training partner of Team Apinall, who is in a heavyweight mega camp.

The stature of this camp does not solely rest on UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall’s reputation, but the camp also features names like former Oktagon MMA champion Martin Buday and KSW heavyweight titleholder Phil De Fries.

Delija recently debuted in the UFC against a familiar foe, and it will have been ten years since their not-as-widely-known first fight as of tomorrow. On September 20th, 2015, Marcin Tybura did garner a first-round win via leg injury at M-1 Challenge 61, but he would end up on the wrong end of a first-round finish in their sequel clash. Delija halted Tybura with strikes in the opening stanza of their UFC Paris bout on September 6th.

Delija enters this contest as the number ten-ranked contender in the promotion, while Cortes-Acosta steps into the octagon for this bout as the promotion’s number six-ranked heavyweight.