Waldo Cortes-Acosta achieved a second stunning victory within weeks
The UFC’s debut event in the city of Al Rayyan in Qatar was expected to see a major heavyweight clash between top European prospects Serghei Spivac and Shamil Gaziev. However, a sudden injury forced the Moldovan to abandon the planned match. With just three days’ notice, Waldo Cortes-Acosta volunteered to take on the struggling Dagestani in what would be his fifth fight in the promotion in 2025 after recently competing at the UFC Apex on November 1.
Demonstrating an ever-improving level of boxing skill, “Salsa Boy” immediately took the action to Gaziev, pelting him with a series of precise shots that left him hurt. Despite being pushed against the cage wall early in the first round, Waldo Cortes-Acosta pushed Gaziev back with a well-timed jab that dropped him earlier. Ultimately, the Dominican Republican would end the fight in just over a minute with a devastating right hook, earning his second Performance of the Night award.
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Waldo Cortes-Acosta: Busiest heavyweight in UFC this year
After raising his hand in glorious fashion in Qatar, Cortes-Acosta claimed his fourth victory inside the Octagon in the space of eight months. His highest activity rate over the course of the year is rare for most athletes in the company, let alone the 265-pound category.
Making his first corporate appearance at UFC Vegas 104, he took on former light heavyweight contender Ryan Spann. Cortes-Acosta needed just two rounds to get the job done and put on ‘Superman’, moving him into the heavyweight class.
It was during the summer that he started to ramp up his fight time in earnest, as Cortes-Acosta booked two tilts from June to August and sent the aforementioned Spivac to UFC 316 by decision. Riding a five-match winning streak, he then clashed with one-time title challenger Sergei Pavlovich, with a triumph likely to push the Caribbean native into the championship. Unfortunately, the Russian thwarted that opportunity for Waldo Cortes-Acosta by handing him his second event loss in the UFC.
Waldo Cortes-Acosta would like to fight on December 6 at UFC 323
After nearly three months off, the Ultimate Kombat Training Center product made his comeback earlier in November at the renowned Apex Center, where he met Ante Delija, who stopped Marcin Tybura in under two minutes in his UFC debut in September. Although an eye poke threatened to end the match in the first, Cortes-Acosta managed to recover enough to record a fantastic knockout reversal, finishing Delija with one hellish punch to get himself back in the win column.
This brings us to his conquest in Qatar, where “Salsa Boy” defeated the impressive Gaziev with a highlight reel stop. At the time of this writing, Cortes-Acosta is not scheduled for his next assignment in the cage, but talks are underway to give him his sixth tilt of 2025 on the upcoming UFC 323 show next week (according to Danny Segura).
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