UFC 328 live blog: Alexander Volkov vs Waldo Cortes-Acosta

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MAY 08: (L-R) Opponents Alexander Volkov of Russia and Waldo Cortes Acosta of the Dominican Republic face off during the UFC 328 ceremonial weigh-in at Prudential Center on May 08, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)

This is the UFC 328 live blog for Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta, the main card heavyweight bout Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Volkov is currently No. 4 at heavyweight in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings and the pressure is on for him to defend his spot against the No. 6-ranked Waldo Cortes-Acosta.

In Volkov’s past two fights he’s had to go to the judges and each time it was a split call, with Volkov (39-11) beating Jailton Almeida in his most recent outing following a loss to Ciryl Gane. The Russian veteran has won five of his past six fights and owns 24 career knockouts, though he has not finished a fight since September 2023.

Cortes-Acosta (17-2) has reminded everyone that the best ability is availability, having fought six times in the past 14 months and compiling a 5-1 record during that stretch. “Salsa Boy” has scored consecutive knockouts over Derrick Lewis, Shamil Gaziev, and Ante Delija, and hopes knocking off another established contender will keep him on the fast track to a title shot.

Check out the UFC 328 live blog for Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta below.

Preamble

The UFC 328 finishing streak was snapped in the Brady vs. Buckley fight minutes ago, but those who see beauty in one-sided grappling beatings definitely enjoyed that 15-minute scrap.

And now we to go the heavyweight division for a clash between two top-level talents.