Can ‘Salsa Boy’ Get His Fourth Win Of 2025?
Waldo Cortes-Acosta has decided to step in on short notice, just two weeks from his huge comeback victory over Ante Delija. He is stepping in to face Shamil Gaziev, who is 3-1 so far in the UFC. Waldo is trying to stack up the wins so he can claim his shot at a Heavyweight title shot early next year. Can ‘Salsa Boy’ win two fights in the course of one month, or will the short recovery time be too much to overcome?
Waldo Cortes-Acosta has proved he is a dangerous all-around fighter with heavy hands and brutalizing leg kicks. Even on short notice, he is defensively sound to avoid the power that is going to be coming his way in this fight. If he can get his leg kicks going, he will be able to slow down Gaziev’s aggressive forward pressure early in the fight, where he is most dangerous. He has shown exceptional takedown defense, so if Gaziev tries to shoot, it will only wear on his already terrible gas tank. The longer this fight goes, the more Waldo will be able to build and look for the finish. Gaziev will be gassed if this goes three rounds, so Waldo and the power he has will eventually make him break, and ‘Salsa Boy’ will be able to secure the impressive and improbable knockout victory.
Shamil Gaziev came into the UFC undefeated, with striking and power being his calling card. He made a huge statement when he won his debut fight against Martin Buday, who, before that, was undefeated in the UFC. He was rewarded with a ranked opponent in his next fight, which headlined a fight card in 2024. His awful gas tank resulted in him losing to Jairzinho Rozenstruik, who is no longer even in the UFC. That pumped the brakes on any thoughts of getting a title shot in the near future. Since then, he has gone on to win two fights against low-level heavyweights and has set himself up for another ranked opponent. Gaziev was scheduled to face Serghei Spivac, which on paper looked like a good matchup for him, but now he has the task of ‘Salsa Boy’. This is a huge step up in competition from what he was scheduled to face and also what he has been facing, so we’ll see if he’s ready for it. If he wants to win this fight, he will need to be on the pressure early and try to wear down Waldo, who is coming in on short notice. If he allows Waldo to get comfortable and stay on the outside, he will fall behind. He needs to walk him down and get him backed up against the cage and throw bombs to get him defensive, where he can shoot a takedown. Even if he doesn’t get it, he can clinch against the cage and do damage and make Waldo carry his weight. That will be his recipe to walk out of here with a decision victory.
For two guys who like to strike and knock people out, this is an upgrade of a fight if you ask me. The Heavyweight Division could flip if Gaziev can get himself in the top five of the rankings out of nowhere. Whichever way this fight goes, you're not going to want to miss it and all the other exciting action. As a part of UFC Fight Night set for this Saturday, November 22nd, the early main card has a start time of 1:00 p.m. EST.
