Heavyweight Waldo Cortes-Acosta is stepping into the short-notice main event of UFC Vegas 124 looking to snap a two-fight skid that saw him drop back-to-back decisions.
Cortes-Acosta had been surging following setbacks against Alexander Volkov and Curtis Blaydes. Now, with Sean Brady vs. Gabriel Bonfim falling through, he gets Johnny Walker on little more than a week’s notice.
“It’s a good opportunity to show myself and make my point, because the last two fights I had have not gone my way,” Cortes-Acosta (17-4) said during this week’s media day. “Right now I’m in a position that I need to give everything, and get back everything that the judges have taken from me.”
Speaking on his recent setbacks, WCA stated that “Right now I’m 100% confident about myself. This Saturday coming up, you guys will see how we can change.” Cortes-Acosta has a new coach, he noted, and new people training with him, alongside longtime partners like Tyrell Fortune. “I’m more confident about myself. I’m ready for this Saturday.”
Walker is expected to have a speed advantage in the match-up, having come up from 205 pounds. Cortes-Acosta downplayed that however.
“It’s not fast. Let me tell you something: Everybody said this about Ryan Spann. I think Ryan Spann is more better than him, at heavyweight than him,” stated Cortes-Acosta, who holds a win over Spann, also a former light heavyweight. “Because you see him [Walker] with Mick Parkin, one month ago, fighting with him. I see one guy in there trying to survive for his life. [He] tried running a lot from him.”
Cortes-Acosta suggested that was because of the power difference at heavyweight, adding that he’d only seen one thing from Walker. “Clinch, one knee, and that’s it. Before that, he was running around for his life. Parkin touched him with one little punch, and tried to tumble him with that.”
“It’s not going to be the same with me,” added Corteas-Acosta, who has been right around the 265lb mark his entire UFC run. “I’m a real heavyweight. I’ve been a heavyweight since 15 years old. I’m comfortable with my weight.”