Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Dominican mixed martial artist (born 1991)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.[2] He also competed in the LFA, where he was the heavyweight champion.
Fundación, Barahona Province, Dominican Republic
| Waldo Cortes-Acosta | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 3, 1991 Fundación, Barahona Province, Dominican Republic |
| Other names | Salsa Boy |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) |
| Weight | 264 lb (120 kg; 18 st 12 lb) |
| Division | Heavyweight |
| Reach | 78 in (198 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Team | Ultimate Kombat Training Center |
| Trainer | Javier Torres |
| Rank | Blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu[1] |
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Professional boxing record | |
| Total | 10 |
| Wins | 6 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| Losses | 4 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 19 |
| Wins | 17 |
| By knockout | 9 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 7 |
| Losses | 2 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Boxing record from BoxRec | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
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.[3]
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.[4][5]
Cortes-Acosta faced Muhammed DeReese on November 12, 2021 at Bellator 271. He won the bout by unanimous decision.[6]
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.[5]
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.[7]
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.[8][9] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[10]
Cortes-Acosta faced Chase Sherman on November 19, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 215.[11] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[12]
Cortes-Acosta faced Marcos Rogério de Lima on April 29, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 45.[13] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[14]
Cortes-Acosta faced Łukasz Brzeski on August 26, 2023 at UFC Fight Night 225. He won the fight via KO in the first round.[15]
Cortes-Acosta faced Andrei Arlovski on January 13, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 234.[16] He won the bout by unanimous decision.[17]
Cortes-Acosta faced Robelis Despaigne on May 11, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 56.[18] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[19]
Cortes-Acosta was scheduled to face Chris Barnett on October 12, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 244.[20] However, Cortes-Acosta withdrew from the fight for unknown reasons and was replaced by Junior Tafa.[21]
Cortes-Acosta faced former LFA Light Heavyweight Champion Ryan Spann on March 15, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 254.[22] He won the fight by knockout in the second round.[23]
Cortes-Acosta faced Serghei Spivac on June 7, 2025 at UFC 316, replacing an injured Shamil Gaziev.[24] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[25] 10 out of 13 media outlets scored the bout for Spivac.[26]
Cortes-Acosta faced former interim UFC Heavyweight Championship challenger Sergei Pavlovich on August 23, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 257.[27] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[28]
Cortes-Acosta faced Ante Delija on November 1, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 263.[29] 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.[30] This fight earned him his first Performance of the Night award.[31]
Replacing Serghei Spivac on two days' notice, Cortes-Acosta faced Shamil Gaziev on November 22, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 265.[32] He won the fight by knockout in the first round.[33] This fight earned him another Performance of the Night award.[34]
Cortes-Acosta faced former UFC Heavyweight Championship challenger Derrick Lewis on January 24, 2026 at UFC 324.[35] He won the fight via technical knockout in round two.[36]
Cortes-Acosta is scheduled to face Alexander Volkov on May 9, 2026 at UFC 328.[37]
Championships and accomplishments
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Ante Delija and Shamil Gaziev[31][34]
- Tied for most bouts in a calendar year in UFC history (5 in 2025)
- UFC.com Awards
- Legacy Fighting Alliance
- LFA Heavyweight Championship (One time)
- MMA Fighting
- Uncrowned
- 2025 #3 Ranked Breakthrough Fighter of the Year[42]
Mixed martial arts record
| 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. |
