Ranked #6 Heavyweight Waldo Cortes-Acosta will be fighting for the fifth time in 2025, stepping in on three days notice to face Shamil Gaziev at UFC Qatar this Saturday.

It was only less than three weeks ago when the Dominican last fought in the UFC.

In a highly controversial contest, ‘Salsa Boy’ knocked out current champion Aspinall’s teammate, Ante Delija, in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 110, following an eye-poke and a supposed knockout loss before the result was overturned.

He was awarded the Performance of the Night bonus after overcoming major adversity and claimed the sixth spot in the UFC heavyweight rankings.

The Dominican heavyweight replaces the #7 Serghei Spivac, who has withdrawn from the card for undisclosed reasons, and will face Bahrain’s #11 heavyweight Shamil Gaziev.

This marks an incredibly active 2025 for Cortes-Acosta, who started the year with victories over Ryan Spann and the man he is replacing to fight in Qatar, Serghei Spivac. After losing to Sergei Pavlovich by unanimous decision, he bounced back against Delija and will hope to win once more to make it four wins in a calendar year.

“Three days’ notice. I’m born to fight, coming for everybody,” Cortes-Acosta captioned on social media platform X after the news of his fight was announced.

Many fans heaped praise on Cortes-Acosta’s willingness to travel almost halfway across the world for the fight to go on, as it showcases the professionalism and dedication he has for the sport. If Cortes-Acosta wins this fight against Gaziev, he will undeniably cement himself as a fan-favourite and a rising contender in the heavyweight division.

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