UFC Vegas 84: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker continues on the prelims with a fight in the heavyweight division between Andrei Arlovski and Waldo Cortes-Acosta. The former UFC heavyweight champion and longtime veteran Andrei Arlovski has now suffered back-to-back losses coming into this matchup meanwhile, Cortes-Acosta was able to get back on track after suffering his first defeat with a first-round knockout. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Arlovski-Cortes-Acosta prediction and pick.
Andrei Arlovski (34-22) is on the tail end of his 25-year 56-fight MMA career. He has now suffered back-to-back losses at the age of 44 and it seems like his best days are behind him. Arlovski will have to turn back time to at least get back to the Arlovski that was winning close split decisions when he takes on the young up-and-coming Waldo Cortes-Acosta this weekend at UFC Vegas 84.
Waldo Cortes-Acosta (10-1) got his shine on the Contender Series in 2022 and has since gone 3-1 in the biggest MMA promotion. While he did lose his unbeaten record against veteran heavyweight Marcos Rogerio de Lima he was able to get back on track with a brutal first-round knockout against Lukasz Brzeski. Cortes-Acosta will now look to get the biggest victory of his career when he takes on longtime UFC veteran Andrei Arlovski.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Vegas 84 Odds: Andrei Arlovski-Waldo Cortes-Acosta Odds
Andrei Arlovski: +500
Waldo Cortes-Acosta: -700
Over 1.5 rounds: -140
Under 1.5 rounds: +110
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Why Andrei Arlovski Will Win
Andrei Arlovski is a future UFC Hall Of Famer for his long UFC career that has spanned over 10 years and 40 fights. He is however on the tail end of his MMA career and is coming off of two brutal losses to guys he would normally beat at the earlier stages of his career.
Arlovski now has his eyes set on getting back into the win column and kicking off the 2024 year with a great performance when he takes on the surging Dominican Waldo Cortes-Acosta. He has the ability to do what he has done in his four previous wins and that is to fight a smart fight at range utilizing his speed and kicks to keep the thunderous boxer at bay. If Arlovski's chin can hold up at this stage of his career and fights a smart fight trying to out-strike Cortes-Acosta at a distance.
Why Waldo Cortes-Acosta Will Win
Waldo Cortes-Acosta is a breath of fresh air for the heavyweight division. He made a name for himself when he knocked out fellow heavyweight prospect Thomas Petersen to capture the LFA Heavyweight Championship. That punched his ticket on the Contender Series where he knocked out Danilo Suzart in a similar fashion to secure his UFC contract. He has since gone 3-1 in the UFC and is coming off a brutal first-round knockout of Lukasz Brzeski after suffering his first professional loss in his fight prior.
Cortes-Acosta now gets to take on a living legend Andrei Arlovski as he attempts to get the biggest victory in his MMA career this weekend at UFC Vegas 84. While Arlovski's best days are behind him, he is still a tricky fighter to fight against because he has adapted a style of fighting that is sometimes hard to deal with. Cortes-Acosta will need to crowd the kicks of Arlovski and let his hands fly and if he is able to land flush another knockout could be on the horizon for the Dominican heavyweight prospect.
Final Andrei Arlovski-Waldo Cortes-Acosta Prediction & Pick
This is a very good heavyweight matchup as the featured bout on the prelims. While Arlovski may not pack the punch that we are used to seeing he is still a very hard heavyweight to deal with even at this stage of his career. His newfound style of fighting at distance utilizing his speed, length, and kicks to stay on the outside would give most heavyweights problems to deal with.
However, Waldo Cortes-Acosta is looking like the real deal so far in his short time with the UFC. He was a former professional boxer before taking his talents to MMA and it shows in his fighting style. Cortes-Acostas has some crisp boxing combinations and packs big punching power as we've seen throughout his career with five of his 10 wins coming by knockout.
Ultimately, Arlovski will attempt to get back on track by doing what he's been doing best avoiding big punches and outpointing the opposition but that's easier said than done in this matchup against a very skilled striker in Cortes-Acosta will be looking to come forward, crowd the kicking of Arlovski to lay heavy leather and the moment he lands flush on Arlovski he will get him out of there inside two rounds to notch yet another win on his record.
Final Andrei Arlovski-Waldo Cortes-Acosta Prediction & Pick: Waldo Cortes-Acosta (-700), Over 1.5 Rounds (-140)
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