Waldo Cortes-Acosta: Nine children is enough, ten would be too many

Dominican heavyweight Waldo Cortes-Acosta made headlines after his second-round stoppage of Derrick Lewis at UFC 324, but it was his comments about family planning that turned heads during Saturday’s post-fight press conference in Las Vegas.

Waldo Cortes-Acosta says nine kids are enough after knockout win at UFC 324

When asked if he would have a tenth child after his T-Mobile Arena win, Cortes-Acosta immediately shut down the speculation. “Ten children? No, no, no, no. We’ve already stopped there. That’s already too many children,” Cortes-Acosta said through an interpreter. “The factory has stopped. We have stopped, that’s all. That’s it. It’s a lot of children. We’re done, we’re done with production.”​

The 34-year-old revealed in November 2025 that he had nine children in total, including three biological children with his wife Sophia Lastra and three stepchildren from her previous marriage. Cortes-Acosta’s youngest child, a daughter born in August with Down syndrome, spent months in the NICU before being released. The fighter has been open about balancing his active fighting schedule with his large family, saying he has to accept the opportunities to care for them.​​

Cortes-Acosta extended his winning streak to three fights with Lewis’ win stopping the UFC’s all-time knockout leader at 3:14 of the second round. The Dominican fighter used patient and damaging leg kicks to set up the finish, dropping Lewis with a counter punch before following up with ground strikes that forced referee Jason Herzog to stop the bout.

The win improved Cortes-Acosta’s record to 17-2 overall and 10-2 in the UFC. He went 4-1 in 2025 with five total fights, tying the UFC record for most fights in a calendar year. His activity level has been praised by observers who note that many heavyweights struggle to maintain consistent fight schedules.

After the win, Cortes-Acosta called up fourth-ranked heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes for a possible fight in Mexico City. “I want Curtis Blaydes. He has been talking a lot of trash, and I have to shut him up,” Cortes-Acosta said in his post-fight interview. The Dominican fighter expressed his desire to compete at UFC Fight Night 268 in Mexico City on February 28, citing his Mexican wife and four Mexican children as motivation to fight there.​

Cortes-Acosta maintains his weight around 265 pounds year-round, which he credits to his ability to accept fights on short notice. The former baseball pitcher made the transition to MMA at the age of 25 after an elbow injury ended his pitching career. He earned his UFC contract through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022 and has since established himself as an up-and-coming competitor in the heavyweight division.​

The victory over Lewis marked a significant step forward in the competition for Cortes-Acosta, who defeated a two-time title challenger and former top contender. Lewis, who holds the UFC record with 16 career knockouts, struggled to land his powerful punches against the faster, more technical Cortes-Acosta.