UFC Shanghai Update: 'Salsa Boy' to Face Russian Knockout Artist

One of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s rising heavyweight talents will face his toughest test to date in Shanghai, China.

Dominican standout Waldo Cortes-Acosta will square off against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC Shanghai on Aug. 23 in China. Cortes-Acosta confirmed the booking following an initial report from MMA Latino America. UFC Shanghai — also known as UFC Fight Night 257 — takes place at Mercedes-Benz Arena.

Waldo Cortes-Acosta Takes a Step Up at UFC Shanghai

Cortes-Acosta will take a five-bout winning streak into the matchup with Pavlovich. Most recently, “Salsa Boy” outpointed Serghei Spivac at UFC 316 on June 7. The 33-year-old has also bested Ryan Spann, Robelis Despaigne, Andre Arlovski and Lukasz Brzeski during his current winning streak.

After losing to Alistair Overeem in his Octagon debut, Pavlovich racked up six consecutive first-round finishes in UFC competition. The Russian then hit a rough patch, dropping back-to-back fights to Tom Aspinall and Alexander Volkov. The Eagles MMA representative righted the ship in his last outing, when he took a unanimous verdict over Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC Saudi Arabia on Feb. 1.Su Mudaerji vs Kevin Borjas Brian Ortega vs Aljamain Sterling Johnny Walker vs Mingyang Zhang Kenan Song vs Kiefer Crosbie Kenan Song vs Kiefer Crosbie