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Waldo Cortes-Acosta Eats an Eye Poke, Scores Wild KO Seconds Later Then Calls Out Tom Aspinall

Originally posted on Dice City Sports | By Robert LaMar | Last updated Nov 2, 2025 10:04 PM ET

LAS VEGAS — Heavyweight Waldo Cortes-Acosta turned chaos into a career highlight at UFC Fight Night 263, surviving a nasty, illegal eye poke from Ante Delija before starching the Croatian with a right hand moments after the restart. The first-round knockout capped one of 2025’s strangest sequences and ignited Cortes-Acosta’s loudest callouts to date.

From crisis to KO

Mid-exchange, Delija’s fingers raked Cortes-Acosta’s eye, leaving the Dominican slugger covering up as follow-up shots landed. Referee Mark Smith halted the action, allowed recovery time, and after replay confirmed the foul restarted the bout. On the very next meaningful exchange, Cortes-Acosta detonated a right hand that ended it.

“I’m a different breed,” Cortes-Acosta said. “I was born in the Dominican Republic everything is war there. One poke in the eye can’t stop me. I’m never going to let that make me lose an opportunity that can change my life and my family’s.”

Waldo Cortes-Acosta shows Tom Aspinall how to react to a bad eye poke by not quitting and getting a first round KO on Ante Delija pic.twitter.com/2vmPid5omy

— Boxing Massacre (@BoxingMassacre) November 2, 2025

A pointed message for the champ

The finish arrived one week after Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane ended in a no-contest due to accidental eye pokes at UFC 321. Cortes-Acosta drew the comparison and drew a line in the sand.

“For Aspinall to quit because of a poke in the eye… and I knocked out his training partner in the first round. Why isn’t the fight happening between me and Tom Aspinall?”

UFC CEO Dana White has indicated the plan is to rebook Aspinall–Gane 2, meaning Cortes-Acosta will need a signature win to force his way into title talks.

Riding a 6–1 run in his last seven with three KOs, Cortes-Acosta says he wants a quick turnaround and a ranked name specifically Curtis Blaydes.

Result: Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Ante Delija — KO (right hand), R1
Record: Cortes-Acosta 15–2 (8–2 UFC); Delija 26–7 (1–1 UFC)

Survive the foul, flip the script, and plant a flag. Cortes-Acosta just turned adversity into the biggest statement of his UFC career.

This article first appeared on Dice City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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