UFC Shanghai adds Sergei Pavlovich – Waldo Cortes-Acosta

The UFC is heading to Shanghai, China on August 23rd and the card is starting to fill out. Last night, we learned about a big time matchup in the heavyweight division featuring two top ten contenders. MMA Latino America first reported that former interim title challenger Sergei Pavlovich (19-3) will be taking on Waldo Cortes-Acosta (14-1).

Starting with Cortes-Acosta, he will be looking for the biggest win inside the octagon which would also be his sixth win in a row. Cortes-Acosta made his octagon debut back in 2022 after he earned a contract on The Contender Series. Cortes-Acosta has gone a very impressive 7-1 in the UFC which has made him a top ten contender.

He’ll be standing across from one of the biggest hitters in the entire heavyweight division on August 23rd. Sergei Pavlovich looked like the heavyweight boogeyman between April 2019 and April 2023 when he scored six straight first round finishes including finishes over the likes of Curtis Blaydes, Derrick Lewis, and Tai Tuivasa.

However, when he got his crack at UFC gold against Tom Aspinall, he was stopped in the first round. He then suffered a decision loss to Alexander Volkov prior to bouncing back against Jairzinho Rozenstruik earlier this year.