• UFC 324(1/24/26) Cortes Acosta stopped Derrick Lewis via strikes at 3:14 of the second round
• UFC Fight Night(11/22/25) Cortes Acosta knocked out Shamil Gaziev at 1:22 of the first round
• UFC Fight Night(11/1/25) Cortes Acosta stopped Ante Delija via strikes at 3:59 of the first round
• UFC Fight Night(8/23/25) Cortes Acosta lost a three round unanimous decision to Sergei Pavlovich
• UFC 316(6/7/25) Cortes Acosta won a three round unanimous decision over Serghei Spivac
• UFC Fight Night(3/15/25) Cortes Acosta stopped Ryan Spann via strikes at 4:48 of the second round
• UFC on ESPN(5/11/24) Cortes Acosta won a three round unanimous decision over Robelis Despaigne
• UFC Fight Night(1/13/24) Cortes Acosta won a three round unanimous decision over Andrei Arlovski
• UFC Fight Night(8/26/23) Cortes Acosta knocked out Lukasz Brzeski at 3:01 of the first round
• UFC on ESPN(4/29/23) Cortes Acosta lost a three round unanimous decision to Marcos Rogerio de Lima
• UFC Fight Night(11/19/22) Cortes Acosta won a three round unanimous decision over Chase Sherman
• UFC Fight Night(10/29/22) Cortes Acosta won a three round unanimous decision over Jared Vanderaa
• Dana White's Contender Series,Season 6
• Episode two(8/2/22) Cortes Acosta stopped Danilo Suzart via punches at 3:40 of the first round
BIO
FIGHTS
STATS
UFC HISTORY & CAREER
IMPORTANT FACTS
Pro since 2018, made UFC debut in October 2022
Nine wins by KO, one by submission (Kimura)
Five first-round finishes, four second-round finishes, one third-round finish
Fought five times in 2025, went 4-1 with 3 KOs
Has won eight of his last nine fights
Only active Dominican fighter on the UFC roster
Origin of nickname: “My coach gave it to me. I would always come to practice and would say, ‘Coach, I am going to ‘Salsa’ you up...Going to F you up. I’m bringing the Salsa today.”
Q & A
Q: When and why did you start training for fighting?
ANSWER:
2015. I like the competition; I always have since I was a kid. I did not like to lose, and I enjoy the energy that a fight creates. I like to train, get better, compete and win.
Q: Training
ANSWER:
7:30am morning striking workout, followed by weight training at 9:30am. Then evening training at 7:30pm.
Q: What ranks and titles have you held?
ANSWER:
LFA heavyweight champ, RUF amateur champ
Q: Do you have any heroes?
ANSWER:
My Dad
Q: What would it mean for you to fight in the UFC?
ANSWER:
It would mean everything. It would be a dream come true. As I mentioned, I like to compete, and I want to compete against the best.
Q: What was your job before you started fighting?
ANSWER:
Semi Professional baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds organization
Q: Specific accomplishments in amateur competition?
ANSWER:
Undefeated all TKO'sFavorite grappling technique:KimuraFavorite Striking technique:My right hand...Like I am throwing my fastball.
LOSS
Cortes Acosta
Cortes Acosta
VS
Volkov
WIN
Cortes Acosta
Cortes Acosta
VS
Lewis
WIN
Cortes Acosta
Cortes Acosta
VS
Gaziev
WIN
Cortes Acosta
Cortes Acosta
VS
Delija
LOSS
Cortes Acosta
Cortes Acosta
VS
Pavlovich
WIN
Cortes Acosta
Cortes Acosta
VS
Spivac
WIN
Cortes Acosta
Cortes Acosta
VS
Spann
WIN
Cortes Acosta
Cortes Acosta
VS
Despaigne
WIN
Cortes Acosta
Cortes Acosta
VS
Arlovski
WIN
Cortes Acosta
Cortes Acosta
VS
Brzeski
LOSS
Cortes Acosta
Cortes Acosta
VS
Lima
WIN
Cortes Acosta
Cortes Acosta
VS
Sherman
WIN
Cortes Acosta
Cortes Acosta
VS
Vanderaa
STRIKING ANALYSIS
STRIKING ACCURACY49%
STRIKING DEFENSE56%
LANDED/MIN
5.54
STRIKES PER MINUTEABSORBED/MIN
3.38
STRIKES ABSORBED PER MINUTEGRAPPLING & WRESTLING
TAKEDOWN ACCURACY57%
TAKEDOWN DEFENSE72%
TAKEDOWNS/FIGHT
0.44
15 MIN AVERAGESUBMISSIONS/FIGHT
0.1
15 MIN AVERAGEGENERAL ANALYSIS
UFC RECORD
10 W - 3 L
ACTIVE STREAK
-1 Losses
WIN BREAKDOWN
Knockout (KO)5
Submission0
Decision5
LOSS BREAKDOWN
Knockout (KO)0
Submission0
Decision3
FIGHTING STYLE
Striker
STANCE
Orthodox
UFC DEBUT
Oct. 29, 2022