Valentin Moldavsky made an emphatic statement in his Professional Fighters League (PFL) debut, knocking out Ante Delija last night (Thurs., April 4, 2024) in the very first round at PFL San Antonio, making it look easy against the 2022 Heavyweight champion.
From the jump, Moldavsky — the former interim Bellator Heavyweight champion — made it known that he was going to be putting on the pressure, walking down the towering Croatian.
Early in the opening round, Delija was letting his fists go and finding some success, but Moldavsky kept pushing forward, unloading combinations that hurt the big man. Halfway through the opening frame, Moldavsky opened Delija up, then proceeded to tag his foe with a nasty right hand that hurt him badly.
Smelling blood, the Russian big man pounced and unloaded a barrage of vicious strikes that left the referee with no other option but to put an end to the fight, ending Delija’s five-fight win streak. In the process, Moldavsky earned a quick six points in the Heavyweight division, a nice start toward his run at the $1 million jackpot at the end of the season.
Furthermore, Team Fedor gets some bragging rights over Team CroCop in their historic rivalry.
For all the latest PFL and Bellator MMA news and notes click here and here.