Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Curtis BlaydesW
Noche UFC · September 12, 2026 · Desert Diamond Arena · Main Card 5:00 PM ET
The brief
- The result
- Curtis Blaydes by Decision (unanimous), R3
- What kind of fight
- Finisher vs. Grinder
- Finish likelihood
- Medium
- The line
- Cortes-Acosta -200 · Blaydes +174Consensus (multiple sportsbooks)
- The stakes
- Heavyweight · Main Card
The result
Curtis Blaydes def. Waldo Cortes-Acosta — Decision (unanimous), R3 5:00
Curtis Blaydes out-pointed Waldo Cortes-Acosta in a plodding heavyweight decision, sweeping the cards 29-28 across the board.
Both men fought cautiously and neither reached triple-digit strikes thrown, leaving Blaydes to control the pace behind measured point-fighting rather than a statement finish.
The breakdown below was written before the fight.
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
Two ranked heavyweights collide, with Cortes-Acosta's finishing surge running into Blaydes's wrestling-heavy résumé.
Cortes-Acosta enters off a decision loss to Alexander Volkov that snapped a two-fight finishing streak, 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.
The fighters
Waldo Cortes-Acosta 17-3
Waldo Cortes-Acosta is a top-15 heavyweight from the Dominican Republic who won back-to-back finishes over Shamil Gaziev and Derrick Lewis before dropping a decision to Alexander Volkov in his most recent outing. He now meets a heavyweight mainstay in Curtis Blaydes for a spot closer to the division's contender picture.
- 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
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.
- 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