Waldo Cortes-Acosta was almost TKO’d by Ante Delija tonight at UFC Fight Night 263 until the ref realized that he’d been poked in the eye, and when the fight finally restarted he quickly avenged the illegal blow by delivering a KO finish.
Round One
Calf kick for Delija. Cortes-Acosta punches to the body. Delija pressuring early here. Nice body punch again from Cortes-Acosta.
Delija with a couple punches into the clinch, but then Cortes-Acosta turns him into the cage.
Cortes-Acosta not doing much with the position. He does land a knee low to the mid-section.
Delija breaks free. Delija pressures again and then shoots for a takedown, but has to settle for the clinch. Cortes-Acosta able to reverse the position again. Elbow for him.
Back to striking range. Delija backs him up and then starts to unleash rapid-fire punches. Cortes-Acosta covering up and not trying to fight back as he’s blasted by more strikes, and that’s it, the ref steps in and the fight is over.
Delija reels off to celebrate, but then it starts to filter through that there might have been an eye-poke. The replay shows he was indeed poked in the eye.
This is a bizarre situation similar to the Aspinall vs. Gane fight last week and no one is sure what’s going to happen. Everybody thought the fight was over, to the extent that Cortes-Acosta was given a stool to sit on, but it’s now being confirmed that he will be allowed to fight on if he chooses to do so.
Cortes-Acosta was initially saying he couldn’t see, but after a long time-out his vision appears to have improved and the fight will go on with almost 90 seconds left in the round.
Leg kick for Cortes-Acosta. Thunderous right hand from Cortes-Acosta floors Delija, and hammer-fists on the mat seal a stunning KO finish at 3.59mins of the opening round!!
Rather than celebrating, Cortes-Acosta goes back to clutching his previously injured eye while yelling in pain. What an absolutely crazy few minutes that was!
