NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MAY 09: (L-R) Waldo Cortes Acosta of the Dominican Republic punches Alexander Volkov of Russia in a heavyweight fight during the UFC 328 event at Prudential Center on May 09, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight standouts Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Curtis Blaydes will go to war this weekend (Sat., Sept. 12, 2026) inside Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona for Noche UFC 4. Cortes-Acosta has been a welcome addition to a generally stagnant Heavyweight division. It took a bit of time for “Salsa Boy” to get rolling inside the Octagon, but he turned a corner in 2025, establishing himself as fun-to-watch and a Top 10 contender. Unfortunately, he has yet to clear the Top Five hurdle despite a couple attempts. Meanwhile, former title challenger Blaydes has alternated wins and losses in recent years while fighting the division’s best. At 35 years of age, Blaydes should be entering his Heavyweight prime, but he’s also taken quite a bit of damage in recent years. Both men look to rebound from competitive defeats here and return to the title hunt. Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete: Cortes-Acosta vs. Blaydes Betting Odds Waldo Cortes-Acosta victory: -200 Waldo Cortes-Acosta via TKO/KO/DQ: TBD Waldo Cortes-Acosta via submission: TBD Waldo Cortes-Acosta via decision: TBD Curtis Blaydes victory: +154 Curtis Blaydes via TKO/KO/DQ: TBD Curtis Blaydes via submission: TBD Curtis Blaydes via decision: TBD Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook How Cortes-Acosta Wins Cortes-Acosta is a boxer first and foremost. The jab is undoubtedly his best weapon, but Cortes-Acosta’s counter right hand has become a more frequent fixture of his success lately. He’s a solid wrestler, but most importantly, Cortes-Acosta can maintain a strong pace against a good opponent for three full round. Distance will be key for Cortes-Acosta, which is not to say I want the 6’4” dancing around the outside of the cage and avoiding exchanges. Instead, he should be looking to back up the wrestler. He just has to pressure behind the jab, using that stick to keep Blaydes at the perfect range. “Razor” already struggles to hide his takedown entries, so his shot will be especially obvious if he’s getting blasted in the face with jabs and trying to shoot from too far a distance. A well-applied jab alone could deny the takedown and win this fight. If Cortes-Acosta wants to rebound into the title mix, he has to put a beating on Blaydes. If he can do some damage with the jab and get Blaydes on the defensive, “Salsa Boy” should be able to open up safely with right hands and uppercuts, particularly if Blaydes is backed to the cage. If he lands half as much as Josh Hokit, Blaydes will hit the canvas. How Blaydes Wins Blaydes entered the UFC as a young collegiate wrestler with a gas tank that few in the division could match. He made his opponents miserable with non-stop takedowns and mat returns, running the gas tank to empty and then smashing them with elbows. In recent years, Blaydes has been striking more often … to mixed results. I would love to say something like, “Cortes-Acosta is not a man to strike with,” but the simple fact is that Blaydes has to set up his shots if he’s going to drag down “Salsa Boy.” Cortes-Acosta is too big and too good to be run over with a naked running double leg, especially more than once. Fortunately, Blaydes does have the range tools to compete with Cortes-Acosta and make his life difficult. Blaydes has a powerful jab himself — even if it’s not as fluid — as well as a reach advantage. He should be jabbing up and down the body, mixing in level change fakes to help disguise his jab and keep Cortes-Acosta hesitant. Then, the right low kick is a great weapon in a battle of right-handed jabbers. As the wrestler, Blaydes can attack the lead leg more freely, whereas Cortes-Acosta would have to worry about the leg being caught. If Blaydes is feinting often, kicking the leg, and popping his own jab, his odds of successfully score takedowns skyrocket. Cortes-Acosta vs. Blaydes Prediction As a longtime Curtis Blaydes fan, I have to admit that Blaydes is falling off. He’s visibly slower in recent appearances compared to a few years ago versus Junior dos Santos. He may only be 35 years old, but Blaydes has taken a lot of shots and suffered several knee injuries. There’s a reason Heavyweight wrestlers (like Daniel Cormier) start striking more often in their late 30s. Wrestling is always hard on the body, let alone when considering the additional wear of being 260 pounds. The statistics back up my impression. In his last seven fights, Blaydes has scored a mere four takedowns. Compare those numbers to his earlier career performances, like when Blaydes took down Alexander Volkanovski 14 times or Alistair Overeem four times. The all-time Heavyweight takedown leader is undeniably wrestling less often and less successfully. Against a sharp boxer like Cortes-Acosta, this trend bodes poorly for “Razor” Blaydes. Prediction: Cortes-Acosta via decision To checkout the latest Noche UFC 4 fight card and rumors click here.