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Waldo Cortes-Acosta of the UFC

UFC heavyweight contender Waldo Cortes-Acosta is hoping to earn a title shot with a big win over Alexander Volkov at UFC 328.

Cortes-Acosta, the No. 4-ranked UFC heavyweight, has been on a roll as of late. He’s 10-2 overall in the UFC, and he’s won his last three fights by knockout. Following a huge win over longtime heavyweight title contender Derrick Lewis in his last bout, Cortes-Acosta now gets a step up in competition when he fights the No. 2-ranked heavyweight contender Volkov on Saturday’s UFC 328 main card.

Waldo Cortes-Acosta Hoping for Title Shot With UFC 328 Win

Speaking to the media ahead of Saturday’s big fight, Cortes-Acosta was asked where he thinks a win over Volkov puts him in the division. According to the Dominican Republic native, beating Volkov will launch him into the heavyweight division’s upper echelon of fighters.

Ciryl Gane vs. Alex Pereira fight at UFC Freedom 250 in June for the interim UFC heavyweight title, with the winner slated to fight heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall in his return from injury later this year. But Cortes-Acosta thinks a big victory over Volkov could be enough to leapfrog both of those guys to get the next title shot, just because he thinks Aspinall won’t want to wait around while those guys recover from their upcoming fight.

“I believe a win over Volkov this Saturday, while also keeping in mind that Ciryl Gane is fighting at the White House, along with other heavyweights, I will be free and will have the time to prepare. And will have the opportunity to fight Tom Aspinall since he’s waiting for a fight. We know that Volkov already beat Ciryl Gane. They’re not going to want to put him against Aspinall. So if I beat Volkov, I might get the opportunity to fight Aspinall,” Cortes-Acosta said (via BJPenn.com).

Waldo Cortes-Acosta is a Former Baseball Pitcher

One of the most interesting things about Cortes-Acosta’s rise up the UFC heavyweight ranks is that he did not come from a traditional combat sports background.

Incredibly, before he decided to get into combat sports, Cortes-Acosta was a minor-league pitcher in the Cincinnati Reds organization. While he never made it to MLB, the fact that the Reds signed him and he worked his way through their farm system speaks volumes about the quality of an athlete he is.

After his baseball dreams ended, Cortes-Acosta went into combat sports, first via professional boxing, and then to mixed martial arts. The move to MMA has been an incredible career change for “Salsa Boy,” who has quickly become one of the best heavyweights in the UFC in a short period of time.

UFC president Dana White always says he loves fighters who stay active, and Cortes-Acosta defines that, as he fought five times in 2025 alone, going 4-1, while already holding a 1-0 record in 2026. If he goes out there and beats Volkov at UFC 328 to make it 2-0 in 2026, and 6-1 over the past two years, it may very well put him in a position to fight for the heavyweight belt.