Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Volkov kept the fight in the long-range kickboxing lanes he wanted and steadily outscored Cortes-Acosta over three rounds. The cleaner jab, straighter shots, and calmer tempo made it a clear decision for the veteran contender rather than the pressure fight his opponent wanted.

Key moments

• Volkov repeatedly won the lead-hand battle and forced Cortes-Acosta to reset at range.
• Whenever Cortes-Acosta surged forward, Volkov answered with straight punches and kicks before exiting.
• The fight stayed mostly upright, which favored Volkov's length and shot selection.
• After 15 minutes, the judges returned a unanimous decision for Volkov.

Cortes-Acosta dropped Lewis with a counter jab in the second round and swarmed with ground-and-pound for the finish, handing the all-time UFC knockout leader a stoppage loss. It was Cortes-Acosta's third straight knockout in as many months. Lewis later blamed a difficult weight cut and a bad back for the performance.

Key moments

• A short counter jab on the chin sent Lewis to the canvas
• Cortes-Acosta followed up with unanswered ground strikes
• Official stoppage at 3:14 of round 2

Gaziev lost by first-round knockout to short-notice replacement Waldo Cortes-Acosta in Qatar after Serghei Spivac withdrew from the scheduled bout.

Key moments

• The official method was KO by punch.
• The stoppage came at 1:22 of round one.
• Cortes-Acosta replaced Serghei Spivac on short notice.

After an accidental eye poke paused the opening exchange, the fight restarted and Cortes-Acosta immediately answered with a right hand that dropped Delija. He finished with a flurry of follow-up strikes for a first-round stoppage.

Key moments

• An accidental eye poke paused the fight after Delija's initial striking sequence.
• Following the restart, Cortes-Acosta landed a right hand that dropped Delija.
• Cortes-Acosta followed with heavy strikes to force the stoppage.
• The official finish came at 3:59 of round one.

Pavlovich controlled the three-round heavyweight fight with selective counters and heavier, cleaner shots, while Cortes-Acosta had moments of his own but could not consistently turn the bout into a pressure exchange. The fight stayed upright through the final horn, and Pavlovich earned the unanimous decision.

Key moments

• Pavlovich waited for Cortes-Acosta to over-extend and answered with hard counters.
• Cortes-Acosta created moments of his own, but Pavlovich's cleaner connections kept the exchanges in his favor.
• The fight remained primarily upright and reached the final horn after three rounds.
• Pavlovich won by unanimous decision.

Spivac controlled the opening minutes with greater aggression and cleaner early striking, but Cortes-Acosta worked his way into the fight as Spivac's output slowed. After a competitive third round, Cortes-Acosta secured the unanimous decision in a hard-fought battle.

Key moments

• Spivac pressed forward and landed the more effective strikes early.
• Cortes-Acosta increased his output in the second as Spivac's pace began to drop.
• Spivac opened the third with renewed pressure, but Cortes-Acosta steadied and continued to chip away.
• Cortes-Acosta won the competitive three-round fight by unanimous decision.

Spann had early success with low kicks and briefly rocked Cortes-Acosta, but an eye-related pause preceded Waldo's sustained counterattack. Cortes-Acosta found the uppercut and right hand, then dropped Spann with a left hook and finished with follow-up punches in the second round.

Key moments

• Spann opened with low kicks and briefly rocked Cortes-Acosta in the first round.
• After a short pause for an eye complaint, Cortes-Acosta attacked immediately on the restart.
• Cortes-Acosta connected with an uppercut and right hand before dropping Spann with a left hook.
• Follow-up punches forced the stoppage at 4:48 of round two.

Waldo Cortes-Acosta win against Robelis Despaigne at UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Nascimento. The bout ended via Decision (unanimous) · R3 5:00.

Key moments

• The recorded result was win for Waldo Cortes-Acosta.
• The bout ended by Decision (unanimous) · R3 5:00.
• The fight took place at UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Nascimento.

Cortes-Acosta out-landed and out-worked veteran Andrei Arlovski across three rounds, consistently finding the more telling shots while Arlovski mixed in jabs, low kicks, and defensive rolls. The activity and cleaner connections carried Cortes-Acosta to a unanimous decision.

Key moments

• Cortes-Acosta was the more active fighter and connected with the better shots throughout.
• Arlovski mixed jabs and low kicks while rolling with many of Cortes-Acosta's attacks.
• Arlovski's limited output allowed Cortes-Acosta's cleaner work to decide the exchanges.
• Cortes-Acosta won by unanimous decision after three rounds.

Cortes-Acosta ended the fight with a pair of clean right hands, first staggering Brzeski and then putting him down for good. He followed with pressure and the referee stopped the bout at 3:01 of the opening round.

Key moments

• Cortes-Acosta landed a right hand that left Brzeski staggering forward.
• A second right hand behind the ear sent Brzeski to the canvas.
• Cortes-Acosta chased the finish with follow-up punches.
• The official knockout came at 3:01 of round one.

De Lima attacked Cortes-Acosta's lead leg early, disrupting his power and using his experience to control the fight. Cortes-Acosta continued to compete and out-struck de Lima in the final two rounds, but de Lima's early leg work and five minutes of ground control carried him to the unanimous decision.

Key moments

• De Lima repeatedly chopped at Cortes-Acosta's lead leg from the opening stages.
• The leg attacks created problems for Cortes-Acosta and reduced the impact of his power shots.
• Cortes-Acosta continued to battle and found more success with his striking in the final two rounds.
• De Lima's early control and five minutes of ground time secured a unanimous decision.

Sherman used leg kicks and scored a takedown in a strong first round, but Cortes-Acosta found his rhythm and began landing solid punches. Waldo increased the pressure in the second, nearly forcing a stoppage with a series of hard shots, and the judges awarded him the unanimous decision.

Key moments

• Sherman opened well with leg kicks and ended the first round with a takedown.
• Cortes-Acosta found his rhythm and landed several solid blows during the opening round.
• Cortes-Acosta tagged Sherman repeatedly in the second round with hard punches.
• Sherman survived the late pressure, but Cortes-Acosta won by unanimous decision.

Cortes-Acosta established his right hand early, but Vanderaa answered with steady leg kicks that affected Waldo's movement. Waldo's jab and power punches carried the exchanges, and despite Vanderaa's late bursts, Cortes-Acosta won the unanimous decision.

Key moments

• Cortes-Acosta went forward early and used his right hand to draw blood.
• Vanderaa increased his leg kicks and reduced Cortes-Acosta's movement.
• Cortes-Acosta answered with power punches and began finding the jab in the third round.
• Cortes-Acosta won by unanimous decision after three rounds.

Both heavyweights exchanged big punches from the opening bell, but Cortes-Acosta quickly established his right hand and backed Suzart to the fence. After a brief clinch, Cortes-Acosta dropped Suzart with a right hand on the break and finished with unanswered ground strikes at 3:40 of round one.

Key moments

• Both fighters opened with aggressive punching exchanges, including heavy rights and looping hooks.
• Cortes-Acosta backed Suzart to the fence with repeated right hands before briefly clinching to recover.
• A right hand on the break dropped Suzart and sent the fight to the canvas.
• Cortes-Acosta followed with unanswered punches until the referee stopped the bout at 3:40 of round one.

Cortes-Acosta controlled the opening round against Derrick Weaver before dropping him and finishing with punches early in the second. The stoppage came at 0:22 of round two.

Key moments

• Cortes-Acosta dominated the opening round and kept Weaver under sustained pressure.
• Cortes-Acosta found the knockdown early in the second round.
• He followed Weaver to the canvas and finished with punches.
• The referee stopped the bout at 0:22 of round two.

Cortes-Acosta absorbed damaging leg kicks early but found success with his left hook, jab, and overhand right. He badly hurt DeReese in the first round, kept him under pressure with punches, elbows, knees, and clinch work, and won the unanimous decision.

Key moments

• DeReese opened with hard leg kicks, but Cortes-Acosta answered with a clean left hook, jab, and right hand.
• A heavy overhand right badly hurt DeReese, prompting Cortes-Acosta to pour on punches before DeReese clinched to survive.
• Cortes-Acosta repeatedly backed DeReese to the fence and added short rights, elbows, and knees through the second round.
• A damaging body kick and late short punches completed a unanimous-decision win for Cortes-Acosta.

Cortes-Acosta absorbed Powell's early kicks and takedown pressure, then answered with clinch control, knees and elbows across three rounds. Powell stayed active with body knees, turns and a late takedown, but Cortes-Acosta won a unanimous decision after the heavyweight tournament quarterfinal.

Key moments

• Powell repeatedly attacked with head kicks and later completed a takedown into side control, while Cortes-Acosta defended the guillotine and worked back to the fence.
• Cortes-Acosta reversed a double-underhook exchange with a whizzer, landed an overhand elbow and followed with a knee as the first round closed.
• Powell's activity increased in the second round, but Cortes-Acosta answered with double-underhooks, a chopping elbow and a stuffed takedown attempt.
• Cortes-Acosta threatened a second submission late in round three before Powell hit a final takedown; the judges awarded Cortes-Acosta a unanimous decision, 29-28 and 30-27 twice.