Following his expedition to the Middle East last weekend for UFC Fight Night 265, Waldo Cortes-Acosta has earned the exciting distinction of being called one of the most active athletes on the entire roster.
Waldo Cortes-Acosta Secured Second Jaw-Dropping Win in Matter of Weeks
At the UFC’s debut event in the city of Al Rayyan in Qatar, a major heavyweight clash between European standouts Serghei Spivac and Shamil Gaziev was projected to take place on the main card. However, a sudden injury forced the Moldovan to drop out of the scheduled contest. With just three days’ notice, Waldo Cortes-Acosta volunteered to face the streaking Dagestani in what would become his fifth fight in the promotion in 2025 after recently competing at the UFC Apex Nov. 1.
Showcasing an ever-improving level of boxing prowess, “Salsa Boy” immediately brought the action to Gaziev, pelting him with a series of precise shots that hurt him. Despite being pushed against the cage wall early in the first round, Waldo Cortes-Acosta pushed back Gaziev with a well-timed jab that dropped him before. Ultimately, the Dominican Republican would finish the bout in just over a minute with a devastating right hook, nabbing his second Performance of the Night award in the process.
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Waldo Cortes-Acosta: Busiest Heavyweight in UFC This Year
Getting his hand raised in glorious fashion in Qatar, Cortes-Acosta notched his fourth victory in the Octagon in the span of eight months. His supreme rate of activity over the course of the year is rare for most athletes in the company, let alone the 265-lb category.
Making his first company appearance back at UFC Vegas 104, he faced off with previous light heavyweight contender Ryan Spann. Needing just two rounds to get the job done, Cortes-Acosta starched “Superman,” putting him down in what was the 33-year old’s first outing in the heavyweight class.
It was during the summer that he began to seriously rev up his fight time, as Cortes-Acosta booked two tilts from June to August, dispatching the aforementioned Spivac at UFC 316 by decision. Riding a then five-bout winning streak, he then clashed with one-time title challenger Sergei Pavlovich, with a triumph likely pushing the Caribbean native into the championship picture. Sadly, the Russian squashed that possibility for Waldo Cortes-Acosta by delivering him his second event loss in the UFC.
Waldo Cortes-Acosta Eager to Fight on Dec. 6 During UFC 323
Taking almost three months off, the Ultimate Kombat Training Center product made his comeback earlier in November at the renowned Apex Center, meeting Ante Delija, who stopped Marcin Tybura in two minutes in his UFC debut back in September. Although an eye poke threatened to end the contest in the first, Cortes-Acosta managed to recover enough to record a fantastic knockout reversal, finishing Delija with one hellacious punch to get himself back in the win column.
This brings us to his conquest in Qatar, where “Salsa Boy” bested the impressive Gaziev with a highlight reel stoppage. At the time of this writing, Cortes-Acosta is not scheduled for his next assignment in the cage, but talks are in place to get him his sixth tilt of 2025 on the upcoming UFC 323 show next week (according to Danny Segura).
