Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Salsa Boy
Dominican Republic
Easily handles Derrick Lewis
Cortes-Acosta defeated Derrick Lewis via TKO (punches) at 3:14 of Round 2 at UFC 324 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
It's the most notable win of Waldo's UFC run by a mile, even if Lewis appeared to be at the end of the line this evening. Blessed with an overwhelming edge in terms of both hand and foot speed, Waldo simply kept to the outside and immediately moved out of the way whenever Lewis began to push forward. The finish came when Derrick appeared to slip to the mat and have no interest in continuing to fight. That allowed Cortes-Acosta to jump on top and unload unanswered punches until the fight was called off. Waldo has won three straight and eight of nine. He called out Curtis Blaydes in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.
It's the most notable win of Waldo's UFC run by a mile, even if Lewis appeared to be at the end of the line this evening. Blessed with an overwhelming edge in terms of both hand and foot speed, Waldo simply kept to the outside and immediately moved out of the way whenever Lewis began to push forward. The finish came when Derrick appeared to slip to the mat and have no interest in continuing to fight. That allowed Cortes-Acosta to jump on top and unload unanswered punches until the fight was called off. Waldo has won three straight and eight of nine. He called out Curtis Blaydes in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.
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Set to fight Lewis
Cortes-Acosta will fight Derrick Lewis at UFC 324 on Jan. 24, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Cortes-Acosta will finish with a 4-1 record in 2025, which includes two wins in the month of November. He'll now receive another brief break between events before he attempts to extend his winning streak to three versus an opponent who has fought just twice in the last two years.
Cortes-Acosta will finish with a 4-1 record in 2025, which includes two wins in the month of November. He'll now receive another brief break between events before he attempts to extend his winning streak to three versus an opponent who has fought just twice in the last two years.
Gets big win on short notice
Cortes-Acosta defeated Shamil Gaziev via KO (punch) at 1:22 of Round 1 at UFC Qatar on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
Cortes-Acosta jumped at the opportunity to step in late for Serghei Spivac, and the end result was his fourth win of the calendar year and a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. He dropped Gaziev early, and while he was able to get back to his feet once, he was clearly compromised. Another big right hand ended the proceedings for good, and referee Lukasz Bosacki did a great job jumping in to prevent any further damage. Cortes-Acosta absorbed little damage here and has already announced his intentions to fight on any of the final cards of 2025 in which an opportunity becomes available.
Cortes-Acosta jumped at the opportunity to step in late for Serghei Spivac, and the end result was his fourth win of the calendar year and a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. He dropped Gaziev early, and while he was able to get back to his feet once, he was clearly compromised. Another big right hand ended the proceedings for good, and referee Lukasz Bosacki did a great job jumping in to prevent any further damage. Cortes-Acosta absorbed little damage here and has already announced his intentions to fight on any of the final cards of 2025 in which an opportunity becomes available.
Filling in for Spivac
Cortes-Acosta will fight Shamil Gaziev at UFC Qatar on Saturday, Nolan King of USA Today reports.
ANALYSIS
The 34-year-old heavyweight will be filling in for Serghei Spivac, who was forced to withdraw from the bout for unspecified reasons. Saturday will mark Cortes-Acosta's second fight in just four weeks, and he will enter having won six of his last seven.
The 34-year-old heavyweight will be filling in for Serghei Spivac, who was forced to withdraw from the bout for unspecified reasons. Saturday will mark Cortes-Acosta's second fight in just four weeks, and he will enter having won six of his last seven.
Earns stoppage in awkward finish
Cortes-Acosta defeated Ante Delija via KO (punches) at 3:59 of Round 1 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Good luck finding an ending as strange as this one. Waldo and Delija fought to even terms early on before Cortes-Acosta was pinned along the fence and found himself eating countless unanswered blows. Referee Mark Smith stepped in, seemingly signaling the end of the fight. Yet, with Waldo protesting for an illegal eye poke, Smith consulted the replay and it was deemed an accidental foul led to the sequence. Cortes-Acosta was given another minute or so and agreed to continue despite being clearly hampered. He proceeded to crush Delija with a right hand right after action resumed, leading to the official end of the fight. Regardless of how it came about, it's a massive result for Waldo on the heels of his unanimous decision loss to Sergei Pavlovich in August. He'll also earn a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus for this come-from-behind effort.
Good luck finding an ending as strange as this one. Waldo and Delija fought to even terms early on before Cortes-Acosta was pinned along the fence and found himself eating countless unanswered blows. Referee Mark Smith stepped in, seemingly signaling the end of the fight. Yet, with Waldo protesting for an illegal eye poke, Smith consulted the replay and it was deemed an accidental foul led to the sequence. Cortes-Acosta was given another minute or so and agreed to continue despite being clearly hampered. He proceeded to crush Delija with a right hand right after action resumed, leading to the official end of the fight. Regardless of how it came about, it's a massive result for Waldo on the heels of his unanimous decision loss to Sergei Pavlovich in August. He'll also earn a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus for this come-from-behind effort.
To fight Ante Delija
Cortes-Acosta will fight Ante Delija at UFC Vegas 110 on Nov. 1, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Cortes-Acosta was riding a five-fight winning streak before running into Sergei Pavlovich in August in what was a loss via unanimous decision. However, Cortes-Acosta is still performing at an elite level for his age, though he should have his hands full with Delija who is coming off a win against Marcin Tybura.
Cortes-Acosta was riding a five-fight winning streak before running into Sergei Pavlovich in August in what was a loss via unanimous decision. However, Cortes-Acosta is still performing at an elite level for his age, though he should have his hands full with Delija who is coming off a win against Marcin Tybura.