Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Born (1991-10-03) October 3, 1991 (age 34)
Fundación, Barahona Province, Dominican Republic
Other namesSalsa Boy
Height6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight262 lb (119 kg; 18 st 10 lb)
DivisionHeavyweight
Reach78 in (198 cm)
Fighting out ofPhoenix, Arizona, U.S.
TeamUltimate Kombat Training Center
TrainerJavier Torres
RankBlue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Years active2018–present
Professional boxing record
Total10
Wins6
By knockout3
Losses4
By knockout3
Mixed martial arts record
Total19
Wins17
By knockout9
By submission1
By decision7
Losses2
By decision2
Other information
Boxing record from BoxRec
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Waldo Cortes-Acosta (born October 3, 1991) is a Dominican professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2018, Cortes-Acosta earned his UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series, winning by first round TKO. As of March 10, 2026, he is #4 in the UFC Heavyweight rankings.[1] He also competed in the LFA, where he was the heavyweight champion.

Background

Cortes-Acosta is originally from Barahona and came to the United States playing baseball. He had previously started playing baseball in his country and became a professional. He began practicing boxing and mixed martial arts at the age of 24.[2]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Cortes-Acosta trained at the Tristar Gym alongside Georges St-Pierre and started off with two victories in professional MMA.[3][4]

Cortes-Acosta faced Muhammed DeReese on November 12, 2021 at Bellator 271. He won the bout by unanimous decision.[5]

In his last bout before DWCS, Cortes-Acosta faced Thomas Petersen for the LFA Heavyweight Championship on April 15, 2022, at LFA 129. He won the bout by TKO in the third round.[4]

Dana White's Contender Series

On August 2, 2022, Cortes-Acosta faced Danilo Suzart for a UFC contract a Week 2 of Season 6 of Dana White's Contender Series on August 2, 2022. He won the fight via first round TKO and was awarded a contract by Dana White.[6]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

After earning his contract, Cortes-Acosta made his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 213 against Jared Vanderaa on October 29, 2022.[7][8] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[9]

Cortes-Acosta faced Chase Sherman on November 19, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 215.[10] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[11]

Cortes-Acosta faced Marcos Rogério de Lima on April 29, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 45.[12] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[13]

Cortes-Acosta faced Łukasz Brzeski on August 26, 2023 at UFC Fight Night 225. He won the fight via KO in the first round.[14]

Cortes-Acosta faced Andrei Arlovski on January 13, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 234.[15] He won the bout by unanimous decision.[16]

Cortes-Acosta faced Robelis Despaigne on May 11, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 56.[17] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[18]

Cortes-Acosta was scheduled to face Chris Barnett on October 12, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 244.[19] However, Cortes-Acosta withdrew from the fight for unknown reasons and was replaced by Junior Tafa.[20]

Cortes-Acosta faced former LFA Light Heavyweight Champion Ryan Spann on March 15, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 254.[21] He won the fight by knockout in the second round.[22]

Cortes-Acosta faced Serghei Spivac on June 7, 2025 at UFC 316, replacing an injured Shamil Gaziev.[23] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[24] 10 out of 13 media outlets scored the bout for Spivac.[25]

Cortes-Acosta faced former interim UFC Heavyweight Championship challenger Sergei Pavlovich on August 23, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 257.[26] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[27]

Cortes-Acosta faced Ante Delija on November 1, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 263.[28] In the first round, the fight was briefly halted due to an eye poke, initially resulting in a mistaken technical knockout win for Delija. After video review, the bout resumed, and Cortes-Acosta won shortly after by knockout.[29] This fight earned him his first Performance of the Night award.[30]

Replacing Serghei Spivac on two days' notice, Cortes-Acosta faced Shamil Gaziev on November 22, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 265.[31] He won the fight by knockout in the first round.[32] This fight earned him another Performance of the Night award.[33]

Cortes-Acosta faced former UFC Heavyweight Championship challenger Derrick Lewis on January 24, 2026 at UFC 324.[34] He won the fight via technical knockout in round two.[35]

Cortes-Acosta is scheduled to face Alexander Volkov on May 9, 2026 at UFC 328.[36]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
19 matches 17 wins 2 losses
By knockout 9 0
By submission 1 0
By decision 7 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 17–2 Derrick Lewis TKO (punches) UFC 324 January 24, 2026 2 3:14 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 16–2 Shamil Gaziev KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs. Hooker November 22, 2025 1 1:22 Al Rayyan, Qatar Performance of the Night.
Win 15–2 Ante Delija KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Garcia vs. Onama November 1, 2025 1 3:59 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Performance of the Night.
Loss 14–2 Sergei Pavlovich Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Zhang August 23, 2025 3 5:00 Shanghai, China
Win 14–1 Serghei Spivac Decision (unanimous) UFC 316 June 7, 2025 3 5:00 Newark, New Jersey, United States
Win 13–1 Ryan Spann KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Dolidze 2 March 15, 2025 2 4:48 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 12–1 Robelis Despaigne Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Nascimento May 11, 2024 3 5:00 St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Win 11–1 Andrei Arlovski Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2 January 13, 2024 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 10–1 Łukasz Brzeski KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. The Korean Zombie August 26, 2023 1 3:01 Kallang, Singapore
Loss 9–1 Marcos Rogério de Lima Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Song vs. Simón April 29, 2023 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 9–0 Chase Sherman Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs. Cuțelaba November 19, 2022 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 8–0 Jared Vanderaa Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen October 29, 2022 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 7–0 Danilo Suzart TKO (punches) Dana White's Contender Series 48 August 2, 2022 1 3:40 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 6–0 Thomas Petersen TKO (punches) LFA 129 April 15, 2022 3 4:53 Prior Lake, Minnesota, United States Won the LFA Heavyweight Championship.
Win 5–0 Derrick Weaver TKO (punches) LFA 124 February 11, 2022 2 0:22 Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Win 4–0 Muhammed DeReese Decision (unanimous) Bellator 271 November 12, 2021 3 5:00 Hollywood, Florida, United States
Win 3–0 Jordan Powell Decision (unanimous) RUF 43 August 29, 2021 3 5:00 Phoenix, Arizona, United States Road to ONE Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinal.
Win 2–0 Edison Lopes Submission (kimura) RUF 42 July 31, 2021 1 3:12 Phoenix, Arizona, United States Road to ONE Heavyweight Tournament First Round.
Win 1–0 Odell Pantin KO (punch) Iron Boy MMA 11 May 19, 2018 2 1:23 Phoenix, Arizona, United States Heavyweight debut.

Professional boxing record

10 fights 6 wins 4 losses
By knockout 2 3
By decision 4 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
10 Loss 6–4 Sonny Conto KO 1 (4), 1:41 Apr 10, 2021 Osage Casino, Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
9 Win 6–3 Daviante Jones UD 4 Oct 29, 2020 WestWorld, Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
8 Loss 5–3 Kingsley Ibeh TKO 4 (6), 1:41 Jun 25, 2020 MGM Grand Conference Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
7 Win 5–2 Kingsley Ibeh SD 4 Oct 12, 2019 Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino, Chandler, Arizona, U.S.
6 Win 4–2 Chad Davis TKO 3 (6), 2:02 Jul 27, 2019 Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
5 Win 3–2 Dale Sopi UD 4 Apr 27, 2019 Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
4 Loss 2–2 Dante Stone SD 4 Aug 11, 2018 Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
3 Win 2–1 Dante Stone UD 4 Feb 24, 2018 Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
2 Win 1–1 Ruben Rivera TKO 3 (4), 2:41 Oct 14, 2017 Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
1 Loss 0–1 Adam Stewart TKO 1 (4), 2:58 Jun 1, 2017 Camelback Resort, Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.

See also

References

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  3. ^ "Cortés-Acosta y Despaigne le ponen sabor al peso completo de UFC" (in Spanish). ESPN. 2024-05-10.
  4. ^ a b Sherdog.com. "Waldo "Salsa Boy" Cortes-Acosta". Sherdog. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
  5. ^ Sherdog.com. "Bellator 271 'Cyborg vs. Kavanagh' Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring". Sherdog. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
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allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldo_Cortes-Acosta