The UFC is reportedly trying to find top-ranked heavyweight Waldo Cortes-Acosta an opponent for the promotion’s final PPV event of the year.
The world’s leading MMA promotion is currently on a break for Thanksgiving week before closing out 2025 with a pair of cards in December, and last Saturday the UFC traveled to Doha, Qatar for the very first time for a UFC Fight Night event.
UFC Qatar was supposed to see Shamil Gaziev take on fellow heavyweight contender Serghei Spivac before Spivac withdrew during fight week, which set the stage for Cortes-Acosta to step in and stop Gaziev for his second victory in less than a month.
Waldo Cortes-Acosta Seeks Sixth UFC Fight Of 2025
Stepping in on three days’ notice to knock out another top heavyweight in Gaziev would have been impressive enough, but UFC Qatar also saw Cortes-Acosta return to action just three weeks after a controversial first-round finish of Ante Delija at UFC Vegas 110.
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Now sitting at #5 in the UFC heavyweight rankings, “Salsa Boy” made headlines during his post-fight interview when he asked for another quick turnaround to fight in December. Cortes-Acosta began the year with back-to-back wins to bring his overall win streak to five before losing to Sergei Pavlovich in August, and a December return would mark his sixth Octagon outing of the year.
Waldo Cortes-Acosta (blue gloves) reacts after defeating Serghei Spivac (red gloves) during UFC 316 at Prudential Center. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The 34-year-old specifically mentioned the promotion’s year-ending UFC Fight Night event in Las Vegas on December 13, but Danny Segura reports that the UFC is actively trying to book the Dominican to fight a week earlier at UFC 323 on December 6.
“Salsa Boy” Could Join Already-Stacked UFC 323 Card
Six fights in a year and potentially three in just over a month would be an incredible feat for Cortes-Acosta, but it remains to be seen if the UFC will be able to find a suitable opponent for him on just a few weeks’ notice.
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Set to take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, UFC 323 will serve as the final PPV event of the ESPN era and features a headlining bantamweight title fight that will see Merab Dvalishvili attempt to defend his belt for the fourth time this year in a rematch with Petr Yan. UFC Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja will also meet Joshua Van in the co-main event, and the other three main card bouts all feature former UFC titleholders.
Merab Dvalishvili (red gloves) reacts after the fight against Cory Sandhagen (blue gloves) during UFC 320 at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
UFC 323 already looks to be at full capacity with 14 fights, but if the UFC can find an opponent for Cortes-Acosta it would be no surprise to see the promotion squeeze that matchup onto an already-stacked card and give “Salsa Boy” a chance to close out the year with three-straight wins.
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