2021 PFL Championship: Bruno Cappelozza out-brawls Ante Delija in wild, back-and-forth affair

It didn’t come easy for him, but Bruno Cappelozza walked away $1 million richer from his fight against Ante Delija on Wednesday.

In the 2021 PFL heavyweight championship bout, Cappelozza (14-5) defeated Delija (19-5) by unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 48-46) in a high-action bout full of momentum swings.

2021 PFL Championship took place Wednesday at Seminole Hard Rock Casino & Hotel in Hollywood, Fla. The main card aired on ESPN2/ESPN+ after prelims on ESPN+.

The opening seconds of the fight set the tone for the mayhem that would transpire. After Cappelozza dropped Delija, he nearly sank in a submission. Somehow Delija survived and scrambled to his feet in the final seconds for a wild, explosive flurry.

In Round 2, both men had their moments with Delija nearly finishing the fight with strikes on the ground. At one point, it appeared Cappelozza may have even gone out but was punched back into consciousness by a heavy hammerfist.

The most frenetic exchange happened when both men threw caution to the wind and traded heavy punches in the pocket. Again, Cappelozza would get on top and land heavy, near-fight-ending ground-and-pound shots. Delija continued to hang tough.

In the championship rounds, the momentum shifts continued but Delija’s dominant moments became fewer and further between. Cappelozza controlled much of the final frame, which led him to the official decision.

Unbeaten in 2021, Cappelozza defeated Delija and Mo DeReese in the PFL regular season before he toppled Jamelle Jones in the opening round of the playoffs. With his win Wednesday, Cappelozza has now won seven of his most recent eight outings.

As for Delija, the loss is only his second since late 2015. Both defeats in that stretch have come against Cappelozza.

The up-to-the-minute 2021 PFL Championship results include:

• Bruno Cappelozza def. Ante Delija via unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 48-46)

• Movlid Khaybulaev def. Chris Wade via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) – featherweight final

• Antonio Carlos Junior def. Marthin Hamlet via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:49 – light heavyweight final

• Raush Manfio def. Loik Radzhabov via unanimous decision (48-46, 48-46, 49-46)– lightweight final

• Jordan Young def. Omari Akhmedov via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:32

• Julia Budd def. Kaitlin Young via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

• Don Madge def. Nathan Williams via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:15