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The Russian just took a split decision over Jailton Almeida back in October, landing 123 of 130 strikes at a crazy 95% clip. That win came after a tough split loss to Ciryl Gane in December 2024, so Drago's looking to string together wins and climb back into title talks. Cortes-Acosta, meanwhile, has been on an absolute tear with back to back first round knockouts. Salsa Boy starched Shamil Gaziev in just 82 seconds in November, then did the same to Ante Delija four minutes into round one. The Cuban American is making a statement in the heavyweight division.\n\nHere's what makes this interesting. Volkov's got that slick kickboxing game at 6'7\", using his reach to pick guys apart from distance. He showed he can grapple too, stuffing all of Almeida's takedown attempts and even hitting 3 of 4 against Gane. Cortes-Acosta brings that heavy Cuban boxing, looking to close distance and land bombs. His power is legit, but he struggled against Sergei Pavlovich back in August, losing a decision where he only landed 45 of 117 strikes.\n\nThe big question is whether Waldo can get inside on Volkov's length before eating too many kicks and jabs. Drago's proven he can handle pressure and has slick submissions when fights hit the mat, like that ezekiel choke he locked up on Tai Tuivasa. But Cortes-Acosta's knockout streak has everyone wondering if he's got that one punch power to change everything.\n\nUPD (5th of April): We're officially in fight week now with just 6 days until the cage door closes. Peruvian MMA confirmed the countdown is on, and both heavyweights are deep in their final preparations for what could be a major rankings shakeup.\n\nUPD (5th of April): This matchup was originally set for UFC 328 in May but got moved up to UFC 324, giving fans an earlier look at whether Salsa Boy's knockout streak can continue against a crafty veteran like Drago.","key_storylines":["Volkov's 95% striking accuracy against Almeida was absolutely insane","Cortes-Acosta hunting his third straight first round knockout","Can Salsa Boy crack the code on Drago's reach advantage"],"finishing_window":"If Cortes-Acosta's gonna land that big shot, it'll likely come early before Volkov establishes his range and starts picking him apart."},"advantages":{"striking":{"advantage":"Waldo Cortes-Acosta","difference":"17.4%","values":{"fighter1":4.78,"fighter2":5.61}},"grappling":{"advantage":"Alexander Volkov","difference":"54.1%","values":{"fighter1":0.57,"fighter2":0.37}},"defense":{"advantage":"Waldo Cortes-Acosta","difference":"4.4%","values":{"fighter1":68,"fighter2":71}}},"prediction_factors":["Statistical analysis","Fighting style matchup","Recent performance trends","Physical advantages","Historical data patterns"]},"related_links":{"fighter1_profile":"https://agentmma.com/fighters/3181-alexander-volkov","fighter2_profile":"https://agentmma.com/fighters/6778-waldo-cortes-acosta","all_articles":"https://agentmma.com/articles"}}