Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Born (1991-10-03) October 3, 1991 (age 34)
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 20
Wins 17
By knockout 9
By submission 1
By decision 7
Losses 3
By decision 3
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.[2] 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.[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 faced Alexander Volkov on May 9, 2026 at UFC 328. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. [37] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[38]

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
      • 2025: Ranked #4 Fighter of the Year[39]
  • Legacy Fighting Alliance
    • LFA Heavyweight Championship (One time)
  • MMA Fighting
    • 2025 Fantasy League MVP[40]
    • 2025 #2 Ranked Breakthrough Fighter of the Year[41]
    • 2025 First Team MMA All-Star[42]
  • Uncrowned
    • 2025 #3 Ranked Breakthrough Fighter of the Year[43]

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
20 matches 17 wins 3 losses
By knockout 9 0
By submission 1 0
By decision 7 3
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 17–3 Alexander Volkov Decision (unanimous) UFC 328 May 9, 2026 3 5:00 Newark, New Jersey, United States
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

  • List of current UFC fighters
  • List of male mixed martial artists

References

  1. ^ @waldocortesmma; (June 21, 2023). ""Recibe mi cinta azul en jiu-jitsu 🟦🟦🟦 después de varios años trabajando estamos gracias a @javiertorresofficialmma por creer en mi y estamos preparando la salsa para agosto 26 @ufc en Singapore"" – via Instagram.
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