Derrick Lewis, who will turn 41 next month and is nicknamed the ‘Black Beast,’ is one of the most popular UFC fighters on the promotion’s roster. Lewis was very confident going into his matchup against Dominican Waldo Cortes-Acosta this past Saturday at UFC 324 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas despite winning eight of his last nine fights, including his last three. Lewis even predicted he would knock out Cortes-Acosta in the first round.
Instead, Cortes-Acosta, 34, a former minor league pitcher from 2010 to 2012 with the Dominican Summer League Reds, an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, made quick work of Lewis, winning the first round on all three scorecards before knocking Lewis out at the 3:14 mark of the second round of their heavyweight bout.
Lewis employed a bizarre strategy of not attempting to rise to his feet in the first round. Cortes-Acosta, cautious of the power of Lewis, waited until the referee allowed his opponent time to get up. When Lewis tried the same tactic in round two, Cortes-Acosta attacked, ending the fight with a stoppage.
Cortes-Acosta had been chasing a fight with Lewis for over a year, looking to challenge a man with the most finishes (16) in UFC heavyweight history and who fought five times in 2025. He is now eyeing potential fights with heavyweight Ciryl Gane and UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, who fought to a no-contest at UFC 321 in October after an eye poke. There is no timetable for Aspinall’s return, opening the possibility of an interim heavyweight championship fight. Aspinall was previously an interim title holder until UFC icon Jon Jones retired last June as the heavyweight champion.
In the main event of the UFC’s first fight under a new, exclusive seven-year, $7.7 billion deal with Paramount, Justin Gaethje became two-time interim UFC lightweight champion when he defeated Paddy Pimblett by unanimous decision in an instant classic.
Also in Las Vegas on Saturday, Raymond Muratalla defeated Andy Cruz by majority decision, with one judge seeing the fight as a draw, while another thought the IBF lightweight champion dominated the fight at the BleauLive Theater inside of the Fontainebleau Las Vegas Resort and Casino.
On Friday night at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Zuffa Boxing debuted, with Callum Walsh defeating the seasoned Carlos Ocampo by unanimous decision in a matchup he dominated with his speed.
For the second straight weekend, Paramount Plus will showcase both the UFC and Zuffa boxing. UFC featherweight title holder Alexander Volkanovski will defend his title for the second time against Diego Lopes, whom he defeated in April 2025, in the main event at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. The following day, Jose Valenzuela will battle Diego Torres in the main event of the second Zuffa Boxing event at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas.