Waldo Cortes-Acosta
“Salsa Boy”
Professional record
Last 5: LLWWW
Profile
- Age
- 35 (born October 3, 1991)
- Height
- 6' 4"
- Weight
- 260 lbs.
- Reach
- 78"
- Stance
- Orthodox
- UFC record
- 10-4
How the fights ended
Wins in the UFC10
- KO/TKO 5
- Decision 5
Losses in the UFC4
- Decision 4
UFC career stats
Striking
- Significant strikes landed per minute
- 4.88 top 10%
- Significant strikes absorbed per minute
- 3.43
Grappling
- Takedowns per 15 minutes
- 0.37 top 73%
- Submission attempts per 15 minutes
- 0.1
Next fight
About Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Waldo Cortes-Acosta "Salsa Boy" is a heavyweight mixed martial artist from Dominican Republic. Cortes-Acosta stands 6' 4" with a 78" reach. Cortes-Acosta is ranked #6 in the official UFC heavyweight rankings.
Cortes-Acosta turned professional in 2018, debuting with Iron Boy MMA. Cortes-Acosta arrived in the UFC with a 7-0 record. The UFC debut came at UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen in October 2022, where Cortes-Acosta beat Jared Vanderaa by decision. Cortes-Acosta's UFC record stands at 10-4 after 14 fights.
A finisher on the feet, Cortes-Acosta has won 5 of 10 UFC fights by knockout. In the stats, Cortes-Acosta lands more significant strikes per minute than 90% of heavyweights. A notable win came against Andrei Arlovski, a UFC title-fight winner.
Cortes-Acosta needed only 1:22 to beat Shamil Gaziev at UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs. Hooker, the fastest UFC win of that career. 3 of Cortes-Acosta's 5 UFC finishes came in the first round. Every one of Cortes-Acosta's UFC losses has gone to the judges; no opponent has finished Cortes-Acosta in the UFC. Before and outside the UFC, Cortes-Acosta fought in LFA (2-0) and RUF (2-0).
Most recently, Cortes-Acosta lost to Curtis Blaydes by decision at Noche UFC: Silva vs. Delgado in September 2026.
UFC fight history
-
L
Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00
Sep 12, 2026
28Str 0TD 0KD -
L
Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00
UFC 328: Chimaev vs. Strickland
May 9, 2026
54Str 0TD 0KD -
W
KO/TKO · Punches to Head On Ground · R2 3:14
Jan 24, 2026
44Str 1TD 1KD -
W
KO/TKO · Punch to Head At Distance · R1 1:22
UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs. Hooker
Nov 22, 2025
10Str 0TD 2KD -
W
KO/TKO · Punch to Head At Distance · R1 3:59
UFC Fight Night: Garcia vs. Onama
Nov 1, 2025
12Str 0TD 1KD -
L
Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Zhang
Aug 23, 2025
45Str 0TD 0KD -
W
Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00
UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O'Malley 2
Jun 7, 2025
110Str 0TD 0KD -
W
KO/TKO · Punches to Head From Guard · R2 4:48
UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Dolidze 2
Mar 15, 2025
66Str 0TD 1KD -
W
Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Nascimento
May 11, 2024
52Str 3TD 0KD -
W
Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2
Jan 13, 2024
49Str 0TD 0KD -
W
KO/TKO · Punches to Head At Distance · R1 3:01
UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. The Korean Zombie
Aug 26, 2023
15Str 0TD 1KD -
L
Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Simon
Apr 29, 2023
82Str 0TD 0KD -
W
Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs. Cutelaba
Nov 19, 2022
147Str 0TD 0KD -
W
Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen
Oct 29, 2022
73Str 0TD 0KD
Full MMA career
Waldo Cortes-Acosta is 17-4 across 21 professional fights in 6 promotions, since a pro debut on May 19, 2018 (Iron Boy MMA). 7 of those fights were outside the UFC.
Pro wins17
- KO/TKO 9
- Submission 1
- Decision 7
Pro losses4
- Decision 4
- Finish rate
- 59% of wins
- Longest win streak
- 9
- Current streak
- 2 losses
Fights by promotion
| Promotion | Record | First fight |
|---|---|---|
| UFC | 10-4 | 2022 |
| LFA | 2-0 | 2022 |
| RUF | 2-0 | 2021 |
| Bellator | 1-0 | 2021 |
| Dana White's Contender Series | 1-0 | 2022 |
| Iron Boy MMA | 1-0 | 2018 |
All professional fights
| Result | Opponent | Date |
|---|---|---|
| L | Curtis Blaydes | Sep 12, 2026 |
| L | Alexander Volkov | May 9, 2026 |
| W | Derrick Lewis | Jan 24, 2026 |
| W | Shamil Gaziev | Nov 22, 2025 |
| W | Ante Delija | Nov 1, 2025 |
| L | Sergei Pavlovich | Aug 23, 2025 |
| W | Serghei Spivac | Jun 7, 2025 |
| W | Ryan Spann | Mar 15, 2025 |
| W | Robelis Despaigne | May 11, 2024 |
| W | Andrei Arlovski | Jan 13, 2024 |
| W | Łukasz Brzeski | Aug 26, 2023 |
| L | Marcos Rogério de Lima | Apr 29, 2023 |
| W | Chase Sherman | Nov 19, 2022 |
| W | Jared Vanderaa | Oct 29, 2022 |
| W | Danilo Suzart | Aug 2, 2022 |
| W | Thomas Petersen | Apr 15, 2022 |
| W | Derrick Weaver | Feb 11, 2022 |
| W | Muhammed DeReese | Nov 12, 2021 |
| W | Jordan Powell | Aug 29, 2021 |
| W | Edison Lopes | Jul 31, 2021 |
| W | Odell Pantin | May 19, 2018 |
Full professional record from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Quick answers
What is Waldo Cortes-Acosta's record?
Waldo Cortes-Acosta's professional MMA record is 17 wins, 4 losses and 0 draws.
How old is Waldo Cortes-Acosta?
Waldo Cortes-Acosta is 35 years old, born on October 3, 1991.
How tall is Waldo Cortes-Acosta and what is their reach?
Waldo Cortes-Acosta stands 6' 4" with a 78" reach.
Who did Waldo Cortes-Acosta fight last?
Waldo Cortes-Acosta lost to Curtis Blaydes by Decision - Unanimous at Noche UFC: Silva vs. Delgado on Sep 12, 2026.