On the main card of UFC 324, we saw a big matchup in the heavyweight division. Former title challenger and all time knockout king Derrick Lewis (29-13) was taking on Waldo Cortes-Acosta (17-2). Cortes-Acosta was fighting for the sixth time in less than 12 months.
Cortes-Acosta is making a name off of wanting to be incredibly active. Back in November, he knocked out former PFL champ Ante Delija and then he was in his home in The Dominican Republic. The UFC was in Qatar and when Shamil Gaziev’s opponent fell out days before the fight, Cortes-Acosta flew in and then knocked Gaziev out in the first.
In this fight on Saturday, you could tell he knew the power that could be coming back at him. We saw a much more cautious Waldo Cortes-Acosta and he was fighting smart. He was using his footwork to stay away from “The Black Beast” and Lewis never got really close to hitting him clean.
In the second round, Lewis lost his balance after lunging with a hook. Cortes-Acosta caught him with a short counter and that caused Lewis to slip. Cortes-Acosta pounced with vicious ground shots and he finished Derrick Lewis at UFC 324.
What’s next after UFC 324?
Waldo Cortes-Acosta is now 5-1 over the last year and now he’s won three in a row with the lone loss being a decision loss to Sergei Pavlovich. Cortes-Acosta took to the mic in his post-fight interview and he had one name in mind and that name was Curtis Blaydes.
The former title challenger is currently ranked one spot ahead of him in the heavyweight rankings. It’s very simple and easy matchmaking if you ask me. Blaydes has been on the mend after recovering from an injury, but if he’s ready to go, this seems incredibly simple for the UFC.
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