Hulking heavyweights Alexander Volkov and Waldo Cortes-Acosta faced off as part of Saturday’s UFC 328 main card in New Jersey, and while a title shot wasn’t exactly on the line, the winner would almost certainly inch closer to one.
With interim gold on the line between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane next month, and champ Tom Aspinall waiting to make his return, the winner of “Drago” vs. “Salsa Boy” had a shot to potentially be next in line.
Volkov, as he so often does, had a height and reach advantage in the bout, though he was only three inches taller than Dominican Cortes-Acosta. The former Bellator champ fired low kicks early, but Cortes-Acosta was happy to return fire. Cortes-Acosta also worked his jab, but not surprisingly, it couldn’t cover the distance required to reach Volkov. The Russian, meanwhile, landed his inside leg kick more than once as he circled and moved side-to-side.
Cortes-Acosta finally exploded ahead of the midway mark of round one, firing some fastballs, but Volkov blocked then escaped. He’d continue working both inside and outside leg kicks. Cortes-Acosta chased the towering Volkov, firing heavy punches that continued to hit air. Volkov went to the body with a kick, and connected; Cortes-Acosta landed a jab off of it however. Moments later, Cortes-Acosta moved in with a two punch combo that took Volkov by surprise. Volkov was showing a bit of redness around the nose after that.
Round two saw Cortes-Acosta pressing forward, putting on enough pressure for Volkov to briefly change levels. Cortes-Acosta began targeting the body, and found a home for his right hand as well. Volkov answered with a kick to the body, then another. A high kick by Volkov had a combination trailing it, though Cortes-Acosta wasn’t in any danger. As the round wore on, Cortes-Acosta pointed to center, pleading for a brawl that Volkov wasn’t interested in.
Moments later, it was Volkov clipping Waldo with a punch; “Salsa Boy” waved him in anyway. Cortes-Acosta recovered, but Volkov landed a head kick moments later. Not enough on it, but it landed clean. Cortes-Acosta fired a few leg kicks of his own, but appeared to have slowed by the end of the round. Volkov landed a jab, and nearly stumbled Cortes-Acosta with another outside kick to close out the frame.
The third frame still had the fight up for grabs, with it easily one round apiece after two rounds. Cortes-Acosta’s corner certainly told him as much. Volkov, however, was more active early, firing a head kick and trailing it with a second kick to the body. Moments later, an eye poke landed, with the ref missing it initially then calling time so that Volkov, the victim, could recover. On the restart, Cortes-Acosta came out hot, but a Volkov jab, and a body kick just after, shut that flurry down. Volkov, however, was bloodied. Cortes-Acosta fired a heavy overhand. Volkov went high with another kick, but Cortes-Acosta began firing heavy shots, having found a second wind. Went Volkov ripped another kick, Cortes-Acosta reached for a takedown, but Volkov just walked him to the fence.
With a minute on the clock, it would come down to who wanted it more. Cortes-Acosta threw a massive overhand that hit air. Volkov fired a kick, and a straight. Then another kick. Cortes-Acosta had damage around his eye, but the blood leaking from Volkov’s nose was far more noticeable. And it was Cortes-Acosta swinging for the fences late, looking to steal the round, and the fight.
No such luck for Waldo. Volkov took the win on the scorecards, then called for a title fight, saying that Alex Pereira is “not a heavyweight.”
Official Result: Alexander Volkov def. Waldo Cortes-Acosta by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
