Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Curtis Blaydes are booked to meet at UFC 331 on September 19. The heavyweight matchup pits two fighters from the top eight of the UFC's heavyweight division against each other.
Curtis Blaydes and Waldo Cortes-Acosta have been booked for a heavyweight showdown at UFC 331 on September 19, with both men carrying divisional ranking and genuine title-picture stakes into the bout.
Blaydes, known as "Razor," enters ranked fourth in the UFC heavyweight division. The 35-year-old American, who trains out of Elevation Fight Team, carries a 19-6-0 record and stands six-foot-four with an 80-inch reach. He is one of the division's most prolific grapplers, averaging 5.38 takedowns per 15 minutes, and combines that wrestling with a striking output of 3.56 significant strikes landed per minute at 50 percent accuracy.
Cortes-Acosta, nicknamed "Salsa Boy," comes in ranked tenth in the division with a 17-3-0 record. The 34-year-old also stands six-foot-four but holds a slightly shorter 78-inch reach. Where Blaydes leans on his wrestling, Cortes-Acosta brings considerably heavier striking volume, averaging 5.54 significant strikes landed per minute at 49 percent accuracy, making him one of the busier heavyweights on the roster.
Why it matters
- Blaydes sits just outside the championship picture at number four, and a loss to a ranked opponent could push him further from a title shot while a win for Cortes-Acosta would rocket him up the standings.
- The style contrast is sharp: Blaydes's elite-level wrestling versus Cortes-Acosta's high-output striking sets up a classic grappler-versus-striker dynamic at heavyweight.
- Both fighters are the same height with nearly identical stances, meaning physical advantages will be minimal and technical execution will likely decide the outcome.
