Waldo Cortes-Acosta


Waldo Cortes-Acosta is a Dominican professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2018, Cortes-Acosta earned his UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series, winning by first round TKO. As of November 25, 2025, he is #5 in the [UFC rankings|UFC Heavyweight (MMA)|Heavyweight rankings]. 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.

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.
Cortes-Acosta faced Muhammed DeReese on November 12, 2021 at Bellator 271. He won the bout by unanimous decision.
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.

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.

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. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Cortes-Acosta faced Chase Sherman on November 19, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 215. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Cortes-Acosta faced Marcos Rogério de Lima on April 29, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 45. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Cortes-Acosta faced Łukasz Brzeski on August 26, 2023 at UFC Fight Night 225. He won the fight via KO in the first round.
Cortes-Acosta faced Andrei Arlovski on January 13, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 234. He won the bout by unanimous decision.
Cortes-Acosta faced Robelis Despaigne on May 11, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 56. He won the fight by unanimous decision.
Cortes-Acosta was scheduled to face Chris Barnett on October 12, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 244. However, Cortes-Acosta withdrew from the fight for unknown reasons and was replaced by Junior Tafa.
Cortes-Acosta faced former LFA Light Heavyweight Champion Ryan Spann on March 15, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 254. He won the fight by knockout in the second round.
Cortes-Acosta faced Serghei Spivac on June 7, 2025 at UFC 316, replacing an injured Shamil Gaziev. He won the fight by unanimous decision. 10 out of 13 media outlets scored the bout for Spivac.
Cortes-Acosta faced former interim UFC Heavyweight Championship challenger Sergei Pavlovich on August 23, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 257. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.
Cortes-Acosta faced Ante Delija on November 1, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 263. 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. This fight earned him his first Performance of the Night award.
Replacing Serghei Spivac on two days' notice, Cortes-Acosta faced Shamil Gaziev on November 22, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 265. He won the fight by knockout in the first round. This fight earned him another Performance of the Night award.
Cortes-Acosta faced former UFC Heavyweight Championship challenger Derrick Lewis on January 24, 2026 at UFC 324. He won the fight via technical knockout in round two.

Championships and accomplishments

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
10Loss6–4Sonny ContoKO1, 1:41Apr 10, 2021Osage Casino, Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
9Win6–3Daviante JonesUD4Oct 29, 2020WestWorld, Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
8Loss5–3Kingsley IbehTKO4, 1:41Jun 25, 2020MGM Grand Conference Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
7Win5–2Kingsley IbehSD4Oct 12, 2019Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino, Chandler, Arizona, U.S.
6Win4–2Chad DavisTKO3, 2:02Jul 27, 2019Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
5Win3–2Dale SopiUD4Apr 27, 2019Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
4Loss2–2Dante StoneSD4Aug 11, 2018Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
3Win2–1Dante StoneUD4Feb 24, 2018Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
2Win1–1Ruben RiveraTKO3, 2:41Oct 14, 2017Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
1Loss0–1Adam StewartTKO1, 2:58Jun 1, 2017Camelback Resort, Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.