Ante
Delija was impressed with Tom
Aspinall’s caliber after training with the Englishman ahead of
his upcoming clash against Valentin
Moldavsky.
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Delija (24-5) and Moldavsky (12-3) are slated to headline
PFL 1 at the Boeing Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Thursday.
Delija trained with Aspinall before entering fight camp and heaped
praise on the interim
Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion’s
skillset.
“I trained with Tom
Aspinall before my training camp,” Delija said during a PFL
media day session. “I was impressed with his physical strength and
also he is very, very technical. His father is training him since
he was a kid so he deserves the place where he is right now.”
Delija is currently riding a five-fight winning streak topped off
by a decision victory over
Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Maurice
Greene. Delija went on to win the bout despite breaking his leg
in the opening round. “Walking Trouble” was able to make a
relatively quick recovery.
“When I fought last time with Maurice
Greene I broke my leg, two muscles,” he said. “But recovery was
fast, after eight weeks I was back in the gym and started working
and improved my skills. And [I] broke [my] leg in the fourth minute
of my fight and fought 11 minutes with a broken leg.”
While Delija has finished 17 of his 24 career wins, his opponent is
seen as more of a decision fighter. Regardless, Delija sees himself
besting the former Bellator interim champ whether it be within the
distance or on the scorecards.
“I think I can win by any way,” he said. “Just if I follow my
tactics throughout the fight, I think I will win no matter, either
way.”
Moldavsky will be making his PFL debut against Delija after the
company’s recent acquisition of Bellator
MMA. The Russian is coming off a unanimous decision win over
Steve
Mowry that ended a three-fight winless streak.