Athletes
Waldo Cortes Acosta Ready To Prove His Level
Ascending Heavyweight Out To Show He’s A Legitimate Contender At UFC 328
When Waldo Cortes Acosta steps into the Octagon to face Alexander Volkov in Newark, New Jersey, it will be the seventh time that the Dominican heavyweight has competed since March 2025.
“This means a lot to me; I want to keep the heavyweight rankings active,” said Cortes Acosta. “The more people can see it active. It’s better for the division… Look at last week: the heavyweight KOs and everything, now on Saturday it’s Volkov and me, and there are more heavyweights coming up. You see the ‘Casa Blanca’ is heavyweights, too. Tom Aspinall is getting ready, so everything is amazing.”
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While he may be doing his part to keep the division in the public consciousness, competing as often as he does has also allowed Cortes Acosta to already cross a major item off his 2026 to-do list.
“I bought a house two weeks ago and this was one of those (milestones) for this year,” he said proudly, a broad smile spreading across his face. “I wanted that, and it’s one of those things that was the reason for fighting five, six times in the last year. I bought a house for my family, and now I see my family here, my family in the Dominican Republic, everything is progressing by my performance, and I want to continue that. I want to see my family happy. I want to make life better and better every time I fight.”
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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In addition to making the lives of his family and those close him better each time out, there have been clear improvements in Cortes Acosta’s game since he first touched down in the Octagon five years ago as a relatively inexperienced prospect.
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His frame, fundamental boxing, and power made him an immediate person of intrigue in the heavyweight ranks, but over the last several months, Cortes Acosta’s ability to dictate the terms of engagement and know when to throttle up the output has propelled him to a potential title bid.
Not everyone is convinced that he’s quite there yet, including Volkov, who politely talked about the level of competition Cortes Acosta has faced on his way up the rankings and how he represents a completely different tier of talent that “Salsa Boy” has yet to face.
It’s a fair comment as Cortes Acosta’s five-fight run last year featured wins over Ryan Spann, Serghei Spivac, Ante Delija, and Shamil Gaziev. Earlier this year, the former baseball player kept the momentum going by stopping Derrick Lewis in the second round at UFC 324, but many would argue a win over “The Black Beast” doesn’t mean the same in 2026 as it did in previous years.
To his credit, Cortes Acosta isn’t bothered by Volkov’s comments or the questions people have about his legitimacy as a contender at the moment.
“He says that, it’s his opinion, and my opinion is different,” he said. “This is one of those where you’ll see who is better than the other one… He says, ‘It’s another level,’ and yeah, it’s another level, and I wanna show my style, the doggedness I have inside of me, and see who is better.
“I’m proud of myself to share the Octagon with Alexander Volkov because the career he’s had is great,” he added. “He’s a good guy, humble guy. Every time in the ring is different, and I’ll be ready for everything in there.”
So how does the affable heavyweight see himself securing another victory and putting himself in the thick of the title conversation this weekend?
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“I see myself dogging him, pressuring him, moving him back,” Cortes Acosta said confidently. “I need to be careful of everything he does because one wrong move and I’ll pay for that.”
Should he emerge victorious, he could be faced with a difficult dilemma: sit in his top spot and wait for the right fight, or risk his spot should an opportunity to compete arise?
Everyone handles those situations differently, but it should come as no surprise what Cortes Acosta would like to do.
“I wanna be active,” he said with a laugh. “I wanna be the backup for the White House because anything can happen. I feel happy for everything that is happening for me — happy with the opportunities the UFC is putting me into, happy with life and everything looks great.
“Now I just have to show up this Saturday and do my best.”
UFC 328: Chimaev vs Strickland took place live from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on May 9, 2026. 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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