Waldo Cortes-Acosta triumphs at UFC 316 and puts the name of the Dominican Republic on a high note

Dominican sports continue to grow, and mixed martial arts are a key part of that progress. Waldo Cortes-Acosta has now placed the Dominican Republic firmly on the MMA map with a unanimous decision victory over Serghei Spivac at UFC 316, held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

The judges scored the heavyweight bout 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27 in favor of Cortes-Acosta, a 33-year-old native of Fundación, Barahona.

Following the fight, Cortes-Acosta was interviewed in the Octagon by Dana White. He said he believed he had done enough to defeat the Moldovan fighter. The Dominican landed 111 of 236 strikes, though he was knocked down twice by Spivac.

“I did enough to win,” said Cortes-Acosta. “(Spivac) surprised me. He came in with more strikes, threw more punches, and secured takedowns in the second and third rounds.”

Who is Waldo Cortes-Acosta?

Despite his current success in MMA, Cortes-Acosta didn’t start out in combat sports. He began his athletic career on the baseball field and even pitched for the Cincinnati Reds in Major League Baseball. It wasn’t until age 24 that he began training in jiu-jitsu—under none other than Georges St-Pierre.

That same powerful right arm that once hurled fastballs is now helping him knock out opponents in the cage—six of his wins have come by knockout.

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Before this latest victory, Cortes-Acosta was ranked 11th in the UFC heavyweight division. With this win, he’s expected to climb even higher and could soon find himself in title contention if his winning streak continues.

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