Waldo Cortes-Acosta had a historic plan in motion before the UFC 324 announcement dropped.
A heavyweight contender had his eyes on history just as the UFC unveiled its first Paramount+ era main events. Dana White confirmed the headline bouts for UFC 324 and UFC 325 on Thursday, with the January 24 card in Las Vegas set to feature an interim lightweight title fight between Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje — a matchup that has already stirred controversy.
While that decision has drawn objections from Arman Tsarukyan and others, the UFC 324 lineup does include compelling pairings. One of them is a heavyweight showdown between knockout specialists Derrick Lewis and Waldo Cortes-Acosta. Yet the timing of the booking has inadvertently disrupted ‘Salsa Boy’s’ push for a place in the record books.
Cortes-Acosta had planned to break Chimaev’s rapid three-fight UFC win record
Cortes-Acosta has put together one of the busiest campaigns of 2025, becoming one of the few fighters to compete five times in a single calendar year. He holds a 4–1 record for the season, highlighted by a controversial knockout of Ante Delija and a two-day-notice finish of Shamil Gaziev at UFC Qatar.
Following his fifth appearance, Cortes-Acosta and his team told Home of Fight that he intended to squeeze in one more bout to surpass Khamzat Chimaev’s famous 66-day streak — the fastest three-fight winning run in UFC history. Chimaev burst onto the scene in 2020 with two dominant wins in 10 days before knocking out Gerald Meerschaert with a single punch to complete the trio. If Cortes-Acosta were to beat Lewis at UFC 324, it would give him three wins in 84 days, short of the record he had hoped to break.
Despite the UFC 324 schedule, ‘Salsa Boy’ still wants one more fight in 2025
The UFC’s decision to slot him against Lewis in late January appears to have derailed Cortes-Acosta’s original plan. However, the No. 5-ranked heavyweight insists he is still chasing the landmark.
Even with a high-stakes bout against the promotion’s all-time knockout leader now occupying his focus, Cortes-Acosta has publicly pushed for one last chance to compete this year. “Still wanna fight December 13,” he wrote on X, tagging Dana White and the UFC before adding, “I’m different, I’m Latino, I’m dominicano.”
If the promotion grants his wish, ‘Salsa Boy’ could yet keep his pursuit of Chimaev’s record alive — though the window is closing fast.
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