Waldo Cortes-Acosta made beating Derrick Lewis look easy.
On the main card of UFC 324 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Cortes-Acosta (17-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) took on former title challenger Lewis (29-13 MMA, 20-11 UFC). While many expected the fight to finish early, the stoppage came abruptly, and seemingly without much resistance at 3:14 of Round 2.
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The crowd was hyped early, chanting “U-S-A” as the heavyweights worked through the feel-out process. Lewis unleashed a few high kicks to keep Cortes-Acosta alert, but the action was slow-paced throughout the opening round. Both took a couple of big swings, but most of the offerings came up empty.
After his corner encouraged him to take control of the fight, Lewis came out with more urgency in Round 2. However, as Lewis charged forward, Cortes-Acosta landed sharp counters. Cortes-Acosta then began working behind a snappy jab that repeatedly scored.
After a big Lewis swing and miss, Cortes-Acosta sat Lewis down with a stiff jab. Cortes-Acosta then took top control. Lewis turtled up while Cortes-Acosta unloaded heavy strikes until referee Jason Herzog stopped the fight.
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“Salsa Boy” kicks off the new year, picking up right where he left off in a very busy 2025, in which he went 4-1. His current streak is three wins, which includes back-to-back first-round finishes of Ante Delija and Shamil Gaziev. For Lewis, the momentum from a pair of stoppages over Rodrigo Nascimento and Tallison Teixeira is halted.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 324 results include:
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Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Derrick Lewis via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:14
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 324: Waldo Cortes-Acosta easily stops Derrick Lewis
