Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Salsa Boy

Dominican Republic

Set to fight Lewis
HeavyweightUFC
November 27, 2025
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.
Read More News
Fight Log
Loading Fight Log...
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Waldo Cortes-Acosta See More
UFC Qatar Preview and Predictions: The MMA Mashup
17 days ago
The best MMA bets, top DFS picks across multiple sites, and predictions for this weekend's UFC Qatar card are live on RotoWire before Saturday's international event
UFC Vegas 110 Preview and Predictions: The MMA Mashup
38 days ago
The best MMA bets, top DFS picks across multiple sites, and predictions for this weekend's UFC Vegas 110 card are live on RotoWire before Saturday's international event
UFC Vegas 110 Garcia vs. Onama DFS Analysis: Drake's Takes
38 days ago
The top UFC betting and DFS plays for this weekend's UFC Vegas 110 card are up, as well as breakdowns of betting and lineup strategy, plus predictions for the entire event.
DraftKings UFC Picks: UFC Vegas 110 DFS Preview
40 days ago
Get top DraftKings MMA DFS picks and strategy for UFC Vegas 110: Onama vs. Garcia. Build winning lineups with our preview, analysis & fighter breakdowns.
UFC Shanghai Preview and Predictions: The MMA Mashup
108 days ago
The best MMA bets, top DFS picks across multiple sites, and predictions for this weekend's UFC Shanghai card are live on RotoWire before Saturday's international event
More Fantasy News
Gets big win on short notice
HeavyweightUFC
November 23, 2025
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.
Filling in for Spivac
HeavyweightUFC
November 19, 2025
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.
Earns stoppage in awkward finish
HeavyweightUFC
November 1, 2025
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.
To fight Ante Delija
HeavyweightUFC
September 19, 2025
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.
Doesn't do enough in Shanghai
HeavyweightUFC
August 24, 2025
Cortes-Acosta lost to Sergei Pavlovich via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) at UFC Shanghai on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
Entering on a five-fight winning streak and determined to prove himself as a contender, Cortes-Acosta was by no means outclassed, but it was clear who the better fighter was Saturday. Cortes-Acosta actually got off to a good start, slightly winning the significant striking battle in Round 1 and confidently walking his opponent down. Pavlovich started to figure him out as the fight progressed, however, and by Round 3, Cortes-Acosta was on the wrong end of a more lopsided beating, though he still had enough in the tank to point at the ground when the 10-second clapper went off. Pavlovich rightfully didn't take the risk, and there was no question it was his fight when it went to the judges. Despite the setback, there's likely plenty left in the tank for the 33-year-old heavyweight, who should remain in the top-10 after Monday's rankings are published.