Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Pro MMA Statistics
17-3-0KO/TKO
| Win | 9 | 53% |
| Losses | 0 | 0% |
Submission
| Win | 1 | 6% |
| Losses | 0 | 0% |
Decision
| Win | 7 | 41% |
| Losses | 3 | 100% |
Career Overview
Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Waldo Cortes-Acosta, known as "Salsa Boy," is a Dominican mixed martial artist who competes in the heavyweight division of the UFC.
Born in Fundación, Barahona Province, in the Dominican Republic, Cortes-Acosta's route into combat sports was unconventional. He initially pursued a career in professional baseball before turning to boxing and mixed martial arts in his mid-twenties. He made his professional MMA debut in 2018 and built his reputation on the regional circuit, winning an amateur title with RUF before capturing the LFA heavyweight championship with a third-round TKO of Thomas Petersen. He earned his UFC contract with a first-round TKO win on Dana White's Contender Series.
Cortes-Acosta trains out of Ultimate Kombat Training Center under coach Javier Torres, where he has developed into a well-rounded heavyweight, holding a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu to complement his striking base.
Standing 6-foot-4 with a 78-inch reach, Cortes-Acosta is a physically imposing striker who uses his length, footwork and one-punch power to control distance and end fights in dramatic fashion; a majority of his professional wins have come by knockout or TKO. That blend of size, athleticism and finishing instinct has made him one of the more dangerous heavyweights on the
Stats last updated: August 18, 2026
Professional Fight History
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
LDEC16-3
|
Alexander Volkov· 39-11 | Unanimous DecisionR3 · 5:00 | UFC 328: Chimaev vs. Strickland |
2026May 09
2026May
|
|
WKO/TKO16-2
|
Derrick Lewis· 29-12 | TKO (elbows and punches)R2 · 3:15 | UFC 324: Gaethje vs. Pimblett |
2026Jan 24
2026Jan
|
|
WKO/TKO15-2
|
Shamil Gaziev· 14-1 | KO (Punch)R1 · 1:22 | UFC Fight Night |
2025Nov 22
2025Nov
|
|
WKO/TKO14-2
|
Ante Delija· 26-6 | KO (Punches)R1 · 3:59 | UFC Fight Night |
2025Nov 01
2025Nov
|
|
LDEC13-2
|
Sergei Pavlovich· 19-3 | Unanimous DecisionR3 · 5:00 | UFC Fight Night |
2025Aug 23
2025Aug
|
|
WDEC13-1
|
Serghei Spivac· 17-5 | Unanimous DecisionR3 · 5:00 | UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O'Malley 2 |
2025Jun 07
2025Jun
|
|
WKO/TKO12-1
|
Ryan Spann· 22-10 | KO (Punches)R2 · 4:48 | UFC Fight Night |
2025Mar 15
2025Mar
|
|
WDEC11-1
|
Robelis Despaigne· 5-0 | Unanimous DecisionR3 · 5:00 | UFC Fight Night |
2024May 11
2024May
|
|
WDEC10-1
|
Andrei Arlovski· 34-22 | Unanimous DecisionR3 · 5:00 | UFC Fight Night |
2024Jan 13
2024Jan
|
|
WKO/TKO9-1
|
Łukasz Brzeski· 8-3-1 | KO (Punches)R1 · 3:01 | UFC Fight Night |
2023Aug 26
2023Aug
|
|
LDEC8-1
|
Marcos Rogério de Lima· 20-8-1 | DecisionR3 · 5:00 | UFC Fight Night |
2023Apr 29
2023Apr
|
|
WDEC8-0
|
Chase Sherman· 16-10 | Unanimous DecisionR3 · 5:00 | UFC Fight Night |
2022Nov 19
2022Nov
|
|
WDEC7-0
|
Jared Vanderaa· 12-9 | Unanimous DecisionR3 · 5:00 | UFC Fight Night |
2022Oct 29
2022Oct
|
|
WKO/TKO6-0
|
Danilo Suzart· 9-1 | TKO (Punches)R1 · 3:40 | Contender Series 2022 |
2022Aug 02
2022Aug
|
|
WKO/TKO5-0
|
Thomas Petersen· 5-0 | TKO (Punches)R3 · 4:53 | LFA 129: Petersen vs. Cortes-Acosta |
2022Apr 15
2022Apr
|
|
WKO/TKO4-0
|
Derrick Weaver· 7-7 | TKO (Punches)R2 · 0:28 | LFA 124: Formiga vs. Bunes |
2022Feb 11
2022Feb
|
|
WDEC3-0
|
Mo DeReese· 9-4 | DecisionR3 · 5:00 | Bellator 271 |
2021Nov 12
2021Nov
|
|
WDEC2-0
|
Jordan Powell· 12-8 | Unanimous DecisionR3 · 5:00 | RUF 43 |
2021Aug 29
2021Aug
|
|
WSUB1-0
|
Edison Lopes· 10-5 | KimuraR1 · 3:12 | RUF 42: Road to ONE |
2021Jul 31
2021Jul
|
Waldo Cortes-Acosta RELATED NEWS
UFC 328: Chimaev vs. Strickland – Main Card, Start Time, Preview
UFC 327 was to be scheduled for two title fights, but one week before the April 11 event, UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van withdrew from the Miami fight card due to injury. That event’s loss is UFC 328’s gain as Van vs. Tatsuro Taira will now serve as the co-main event to the headlining fight between UFC middleweight champ Khamzat Chimaev and former champion Sean Strickland. Below is the preview and fight card for UFC 328: Chimaev vs. Strickland.
MVP Reveals Loaded Full Fight Card – Rousey vs. Carano Netflix MMA Event
Netflix and Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) appear to be building an incredible card for their first venture into the world of MMA.
UFC 324: Gaethje vs. Pimblett – Fight card, Date, Fight Odds
UFC’s Paramount+ era begins on Jan. 24. UFC 324 takes over Las Vegas with a headline-grabbing main event: Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight title. UFC 324 goes down from the T-Mobile Arena as the first numbered event of 2026.
UFC Saint Louis: Lewis vs. Nascimento
Check out the UFC Saint Louis Betting Guide ahead of Lewis vs. Nascimento. Learn how how to place the best bets for this event. UFC Saint Louis is headlined by Derrick Lewis vs. Rodrigo Nascimento for a five-round heavyweight main event. The co-main event features Saint Louis’s own Joaquin Buckley, where he takes on Nursulton Ruziboev. There are no title fights on this fight night.
The UFC Returns This Weekend for UFC Vegas 84
After a four-week long hiatus spanning over Christmas and New Years, the UFC is finally back with more fights this weekend in UFC Vegas 84. The event will take place in the UFC Apex on Saturday, January 13th, with the prelims starting at 4:00pm EST. The main event will be the rematch between top Light Heavyweight Contenders Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker. This card is as star-studded as it gets at the Apex.
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