Former 2022 Profesional Fighters League (PFL) champion Ante Delija crushed former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and PFL fighter Yorgan De Castro in under a minute at FNC 22: Fabjan vs. Kita, held at Arena Stozice in Ljubljana, Slovenia, this past weekend (Sat., April 12, 2025)
The two Heavyweights were supposed to collide back at PFL 2 in April 2023, but an injury forced Delija to withdraw.
De Castro started the fight, guns blazing, charging straight at Delija, throwing bombs. To his credit, he landed a few flush punches on Delija, but nothing fazed the Croatian. After weathering the storm for 30 seconds, the tide turned as Delija started answering back and hit De Castro with a nasty combo that eventually made “The Mad Titan” cover-up. The referee stopped the bout moments later.
Watch the entire fight below:
Ante Delija with the TKO win over Yorgan De Castro at FNC 22.
One of the best non-UFC heavyweights on the planet and once in a prime position to face Ngannou in PFL.
pic.twitter.com/Z5p5IBsuLD
— Alan Murphy (@AlanMurphyMMA) April 12, 2025
After a year away from action, Delija (25-6) returned to the win column with his quick stoppage. Before his victory over De Castro, “Walking Trouble” suffered a first-round knockout loss to Valentin Moldavsky (watch highlights).in the 2024 PFL season, which snapped his five-fight win streak.
Now likely done with PFL, Delija could target a UFC comeback. He was once set to face Ciryl Gane in 2020, but PFL halted the fight due to his contract.
Since joining FNC, De Castro (12-7) has suffered two first-round knockout losses. He did, however, shine in his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) debut earlier this year, earning a doctor-stoppage win againstBobby Brents (watch here).
After Saturday’s defeat, De Castro shared on social media, “Not sure what’s next or when is next for now I am hitting the pause button!!”
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