Athletes
Waldo Cortes Acosta | Be More Waldo
Top-10 Heavyweight Contender Has A Simple Plan To Help Push Himself Into Championship Contention – Just Be Himself.
Waldo Cortes Acosta goes by the fighting moniker of "Salsa Boy", and the Dominican Republic's UFC heavyweight contender plans on leaning more into his personality as he looks to make the jump from fringe contender to bona-fide title threat.
Saturday night will see Cortes Acosta return to the Octagon at UFC Fight Night: Garcia vs Onama, where he'll take on Croatia's hard-hitting Ante Delija in a pivotal clash for both men in the heavyweight division.
It's another important assignment for the 34-year-old as he looks to move up the heavyweight ladder, but this matchup offers a different test, with the nine-fight UFC veteran tasked with defending his ranking against Delija, who blasted his way into the UFC heavyweight division with a first-round TKO finish of divisional stalwart Marcin Tybura in September.
"Yeah, I see a good level of fighter," said Cortes Acosta.
Waldo Cortes Acosta Knocks Out Ryan Spann In The Second Round | UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs Dolidze 2
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Waldo Cortes Acosta Knocks Out Ryan Spann In The Second Round | UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs Dolidze 2
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"He has a good level of experience, and I need to protect my level, my number. I need to protect my legacy."
The fight will be Cortes Acosta's 10th in the UFC, and gives him the immediate opportunity to bounce back into winning form after losing out on the scorecards against Sergei Pavlovich last time out.
Fighters on the Rise | UFC Fight Night: Garcia vs Onama
He may have come away with a defeat, but Cortes Acosta has used the fight as a learning moment and realized that he needs to trust his skills more.
"What I've learned in my (UFC) fights is to be more calm, be more patient, and think about my openings better. It's all more experience," he explained.
"In the fight with Sergei Pavlovich, I learned that I need to trust myself. I need to be confident in what I have. Show up and show what I've got. My chin, my hands, my movement, my defense, everything."
Delija offers a similar forward-pressure, heavy-handed style to Pavlovich, albeit in a smaller frame. But Cortes Acosta sees the bout as an opportunity to enhance his attributes and fight more positively as he looks to get on the front foot against the Croatian.
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"I see the similarity between him and Pavlovich. But I need to be more present, and be more me, be more 'Salsa Boy', and be more Waldo," he explained.
"Because the last fight in Shanghai, you saw Waldo get too much pressure. But for this fight, I need to be pressuring, and throw my hands more. Then I'll feel better (in the Octagon)."
Cortes Acosta knows he needs to be more on the front foot against Delija, but he also said that the size difference between the pair can also be a big weapon for him on fight night. While Delija weighed in at 239 pounds for his UFC debut against Tybura, Cortes Acosta flirts with the 265-pound heavyweight limit. Despite that additional heft, "Salsa Boy" says he feels lighter than ever, despite what the scale might tell him.
"It is a lot. It's a lot different," he said of the weight disparity between the pair.
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"I feel good with my weight. I feel like a light heavyweight with my weight!
"I'm 270 right now, (and) I'll be good at 265 on weigh-in day. I don't know if he can support that kind of weight."
Waldo Cortes-Acosta's Big KO vs Brzeski | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs The Korean Zombie
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there`s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world`s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Waldo Cortes-Acosta's Big KO vs Brzeski | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs The Korean Zombie
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For Cortes Acosta, getting back to winning ways isn't so much about technical tweaks. It's about what's going on between his ears. With nine UFC fights under his belt and a 7-2 record in the Octagon, he has the confidence to know that he belongs among the top heavyweights in the world. Now it's time to take off the handbrake and show the world the real "Salsa Boy’ as he looks to challenge the division’s elite in 2026.
"Every time I'll be pushing to be the best, and to be active and exciting when I'm in the Octagon," he said.
"When you see the rankings right now, I win that fight (and) I can be in other (big) fights and get into position for a title shot.”
UFC Fight Night: Garcia vs Onama took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas on November 1, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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