It’s time for the final round of the 2023 PFL regular season in the heavyweight class, and last year’s $1 million winner Ante Delija is in need of a win in the first round to advance to the playoffs. The trouble for “Walking Trouble” is that “The Crochet Boss” is incredibly hard to finish. In fact, Greene has been finished only three times in his 11+ years-long professional MMA career.
Ante Delija vs. Maurice Greene Odds
Moneyline Odds
Ante Delija -500
Maurice Greene +350
*Odds taken from Sports Odds Direct on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.
When, Where, and How to Watch?
Place: Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, Georgia
Date: Friday, June 16, 2023
Time: ~10:00 PM ET
How to Watch: ESPN/ESPN+
Ante Delija is arguably the best heavyweight in the 2023 PFL tournament. He’s the reigning champ who’s 23-5 overall and who’s won each of his last four PFL fights. Three of those happened by stoppage.
The trouble is that he hasn’t fought in 2023. He was supposed to fight in PFL 2, but the Croatian decided to skip the event as he hadn’t fully recovered from surgery. As a result, he’s at zero points ahead of the final round of the PFL heavyweight regular season.
Only four fighters will advance to the 2023 PFL Playoffs, and right now, there are five of them with 3 or more points. That said, winning by decision or Round 3 stoppage might not be enough for him as it would bring just 3 points his way.
Instead, Delija needs to go for a finish within the first two rounds. As per PFL rules, a win in round two is worth 5 points, while a Round 1 finish brings 6 points to the winner.
Maurice Greene is 11-7 overall with a 1-1 record since joining the PFL. This year, he’s won one fight in the heavyweight tournament – he defeated Marcelo Nunes by TKO in round 2, thus earning 5 points.
This puts him in the No. 2 spot in the 2023 PFL heavyweight standings. However, we could see him drop out of the top 4 and miss the playoffs. At the same time, he could make the cut even if he doesn’t win on June 16.
But for that to happen, he mustn’t let Delija finish him in the first 10 minutes. If it happens, the Croatian will leapfrog him in the standings. So, he can defend himself for long enough against one of PFL’s best fighters?
Greene might not be as well-rounded as Delija, but he’s got amazing kickboxing skills, as well as a very long reach (82 inches). The trouble is that his takedown defense is abysmal. During his UFC days, he had a 27% TD defense, suffering a total of eight takedowns in as many fights.
