Waldo Cortes-Acosta credits Josh Hokit for helping to move the UFC heavyweight division along, but still wants to hurt the brash up-and-comer.
While Hokit prepares to fight Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 334 on Nov. 14, Cortes-Acosta is set for his own main event opportunity this Saturday as he faces Johnny Walker at UFC Vegas 124, a fight that was made on a week’s notice following the withdrawal of Sean Brady against Gabriel Bonfim from the originally scheduled headliner.
Cortes-Acosta is excited to kick-start a new wave at the top of the division leading into next week’s title fight.
“I’m excited for the division because they’re still moving everything, the title is moving now,” Cortes-Acosta told MMA Fighting. “I see the new blood coming for the title.
“Josh Hokit is a personality in there, but it’s still moving the heavyweight division right now, [everybody] knows. I can expect good things for the heavyweight division [over] the months, coming in on the new year, too.”
Cortes-Acosta was the talk of the division in 2025, competing five times, and earning Fighter of the Year consideration with a 4-1 record. The 35-year-old added to that streak with a finish of Derrick Lewis at January’s UFC 324 event, but has since dropped two straight to Alexander Volkov and Curtis Blaydes.
This year, the talk of the heavyweight division is Hokit, who went from unranked to title shot in a year, including a Fight of the Year-contending win over Blaydes at UFC 327 in April. Cortes-Acosta sees how Hokit used his words to steal headlines as a big reason for his rise, and while the Dominican fighter has talked his own share of trash in the past, he’s taking a different approach thanks to how Hokit has handled himself.
“Right now, I’m a fan more than that because I don’t like it before,” Cortes-Acosta said. “Before him talking shit about everybody, about everything else and everything. Right now, I do it like more reserved [version] of talking shit about everybody, but the personality is there.
“I don’t like it too much, personally, but at the same time, too, it makes for more exciting fights. Makes more talk in the social media for the heavyweight division.”
Cortes-Acosta hopes with a win on Saturday, he can turn right around and compete at UFC 335 on Dec. 12, when he originally expected to compete. On top of hopefully signing a new contract, that would make two straight years with five fights in the octagon.
As far as Hokit goes, Cortes-Acosta doesn’t like him one bit. And while he has work to do, the former baseball player would love nothing more than to do serious damage to “The Incredible Hok.”
“I’m no fan of him,” Cortes-Acosta explained. “I’m the person, I want one day, meeting him or being in the ring and take it out—whole teeth, whole mouth, the whole f*cking dirty mouth he has.”
