Waldo Cortes-Acosta

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 September 12, 2026, he is #8 in the Meta UFC heavyweight rankings. He also competed in the LFA, where he was the heavyweight champion.

Background Cortés Acosta is originally from Barahona, Dominican Republic, and initially pursued a career in baseball before becoming a professional mixed martial artist. He began playing baseball in his native Dominican Republic at a young age and eventually moved to the United States to continue pursuing the sport professionally. He later became a professional baseball player, but his career was cut short after suffering an elbow injury that required surgery.

Following the end of his baseball career, Cortés Acosta found a new path in combat sports. At the age of 24, he began training in boxing and mixed martial arts, relatively late compared with many fighters who start martial arts during childhood. Despite this late start and having no extensive background in wrestling or grappling, he quickly developed an interest in MMA and began dedicating himself to improving his striking, conditioning, and overall fighting skills. His athletic background in baseball, particularly as a pitcher, would later contribute to the power and mechanics of his punching.

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.

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

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.

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.

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. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cortes-Acosta faced Ante Delija on November 1, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 263. 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. This fight earned him his first Performance of the Night award.

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

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

Cortes-Acosta faced Alexander Volkov on May 9, 2026, at UFC 328. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Cortes-Acosta was scheduled to face Curtis Blaydes on September 19, 2026, at UFC 331. However, the bout was shifted to one week prior to September 12, 2026, at UFC Fight Night 288. Cortes-Acosta lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments Ultimate Fighting Championship Performance of the Night (Two times) Tied for most bouts in a calendar year in UFC history (5 in 2025) UFC.com Awards 2025: Ranked #4 Fighter of the Year Legacy Fighting Alliance LFA Heavyweight Championship (One time) MMA Fighting 2025 Fantasy League MVP 2025 #2 Ranked Breakthrough Fighter of the Year 2025 First Team MMA All-Star Uncrowned 2025 #3 Ranked Breakthrough Fighter of the Year

Mixed martial arts record

|Win |align=center|17–2 |Derrick Lewis | TKO (punches) |UFC 324 | |align=center|2 |align=center|3:14 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

|Win |align=center|15–2 |Ante Delija | KO (punches) |UFC Fight Night: Garcia vs. Onama |no| |align=center|1 |align=center|3:59 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

|Win |align=center|14–1 |Serghei Spivac |Decision (unanimous) |UFC 316 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Newark, New Jersey, United States

|Win |align=center|6–0 |Thomas Petersen |TKO (punches) |LFA 129 | |align=center|3 |align=center|4:53 |Prior Lake, Minnesota, United States

|Win |align=center|5–0 |Derrick Weaver |TKO (punches) |LFA 124 | |align=center|2 |align=center|0:22 |Phoenix, Arizona, United States

|Win |align=center|3–0 |Jordan Powell |Decision (unanimous) |RUF 43 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Phoenix, Arizona, United States

|Win |align=center|2–0 |Edison Lopes |Submission (kimura) |RUF 42 | |align=center|1 |align=center|3:12 |Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Professional boxing record

ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes10Loss6–4Sonny ContoKO1 (4), Apr 10, 20219Win6–3Daviante JonesUD4Oct 29, 20208Loss5–3Kingsley IbehTKO 4 (6), Jun 25, 20207Win5–2Kingsley IbehSD4Oct 12, 20196Win4–2Chad DavisTKO3 (6), Jul 27, 20195Win3–2Dale SopiUD4Apr 27, 20194Loss2–2Dante StoneSD4Aug 11, 20183Win2–1Dante StoneUD4Feb 24, 20182Win1–1Ruben RiveraTKO3 (4), Oct 14, 20171Loss0–1Adam StewartTKO1 (4), Jun 1, 2017

Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Bron en licentie