Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Curtis Blaydes

Noche UFC · September 12, 2026 · Desert Diamond Arena · Main Card 5:00 PM ET

The brief

What kind of fight: Finisher vs. Grinder
Finish likelihood: Medium
The line: Cortes-Acosta -175 · Blaydes +167Consensus (multiple sportsbooks)
The stakes: Heavyweight · Main Card

The read

Cortes-Acosta's recent knockout power makes him live everywhere, but Blaydes has neutralized power strikers before by getting the fight to the mat.

Whoever imposes their preferred range first likely controls the pace.

The matchup

Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Well-Rounded Finisher

Top-15 ranked · High finish rate · Two-fight win streak

GrapplingStriking

Curtis Blaydes

Wrestling-Based Grinder

Elite wrestling · Ground and pound · UFC veteran

GrapplingStriking

Two ranked heavyweights collide, with Cortes-Acosta's finishing surge running into Blaydes's wrestling-heavy résumé.

Cortes-Acosta has won two straight finishes since his only recent loss, while Blaydes's takedown pedigree and grinding style have been a problem for finishers before.

Tale of the tape

17-3	Record	19-6
34	Age	35
6'4"	Height	6'4"
78"	Reach	80"
Orthodox	Stance	—
Dominican Republic	Country	United States
Ultimate Kombat Training Center	Team	Elevation Fight Team

The numbers

Career UFC averages. Red bar = statistical edge.

Waldo Cortes-AcostaCurtis Blaydes

—Sig. strikes landed / min (volume)—

—Striking accuracy (precision)—

—Sig. strikes absorbed / min (lower is better)—

—Striking defense (strikes avoided)—

—Takedowns / 15 min (wrestling offense)—

—Takedown accuracy—

—Takedown defense—

—Submission attempts / 15 min—

The fighters

Waldo Cortes-Acosta 17-3

Waldo Cortes-Acosta is a top-15 heavyweight from the Dominican Republic who answered a decision loss to Alexander Volkov with back-to-back finishes of Derrick Lewis and Shamil Gaziev. He now meets a heavyweight mainstay in Curtis Blaydes for a spot closer to the division's contender picture.

How they win

9 KO/TKO1 SUB7 DEC

Last 3 fights

LAlexander Volkov · Decision (unanimous)UFC 328 · May 9, 2026
WDerrick Lewis · KO/TKOUFC 324 · January 24, 2026
WShamil Gaziev · KO/TKOUFC Fight Night · November 22, 2025

Full Cortes-Acosta profile →

Curtis Blaydes 19-6

Curtis Blaydes is a former NJCAA wrestling champion and one of the UFC heavyweight division's all-time takedown leaders, alternating wins and losses across his last several outings. He most recently dropped a decision to Josh Hokit and now looks to get back on track against a hot-handed Waldo Cortes-Acosta.

How they win

13 KO/TKO0 SUB6 DEC

How they lose

5 KO/TKO0 SUB1 DEC

Last 3 fights

LJosh Hokit · Decision (unanimous)UFC 327 · April 11, 2026
WRizvan Kuniev · Decision (split)UFC Fight Night · June 21, 2025
LTom Aspinall · KO/TKOUFC 304 · July 27, 2024

Full Blaydes profile →

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