Preview: PFL 5 ‘Delija vs. Greene’

The stakes will be high for Ante Delija when he faces Maurice Greene in the PFL 5 headliner. After an injury forced the defending Professional Fighters League heavyweight champion to withdraw from his first regular-season bout, he will likely need to score big against Greene if he hopes to make the postseason and become a repeat PFL titlist. Meanwhile, ex-lightweight queen Larissa Pacheco will attempt to continue her successful foray into the featherweight division, where she locks horns with Amber Leibrock in the co-main event.

PFL 5 takes place on Friday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta and puts the spotlight directly on the heavyweight and women’s featherweight divisions. The main card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while prelims stream to ESPN+ beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

Now to the PFL 5 “Delija vs. Greene” preview:

Heavyweights

Ante Delija (23-5, 7-2 PFL) vs. Maurice Greene (11-7, 1-1 PFL)

ODDS: Delija (-500), Greene (+350)

After an injury forced Delija to withdraw from a proposed matchup against Yorgan De Castro at PFL 1, the defending 2022 heavyweight champion will have to enter his first fight of the 2023 campaign with an increased sense of urgency if he hopes to make the postseason. With 13 first-round finishes on his resume—including his last two PFL appearances—the Croatian certainly has the ability to take advantage of the league’s point system.

Greene secured his first PFL triumph in impressive fashion, as he overwhelmed jiu-jitsu specialist Marcelo Nunes with superior striking ahead of a second-round technical knockout victory. A training partner of UFC heavyweight king Jon Jones, Greene presents foes with some interesting challenges due to his 6-foot-7 frame, kickboxing skills and active submission game. While he displayed decent takedown defense and an ability to return to his feet against Nunes, a former middleweight, Greene is not typically known for his stout defensive wrestling. That surfaced in his PFL debut, where he was taken down and controlled with relative ease by Denis Goltsov.

Delija, a Mirko Filipovic protege with a judo background, is a far more difficult stylistic matchup for “The Crochet Boss.” The defending PFL heavyweight champion possesses heavy hands and a durable chin, but in many of his bouts, he opts for a grinding approach, which involves closing the distance, forcing the clinch and taking his opponents to the canvas. On the mat, Delija is adept at advancing position and creating openings to land forceful ground-and-pound. Assuming the injury that forced him out of PFL 1 is not lingering, Delija should be a clear-cut favorite against an opponent who will struggle to manage distance and remain upright. Delija by KO/TKO is the pick.

Continue Reading » Pacheco vs. Leibrock