Pavlovich’s Heavy Counters Ended Cortes-Acosta’s Winning Run
Sergei Pavlovich defeated Waldo Cortes-Acosta by unanimous decision on August 23, 2025, at UFC Shanghai. The heavyweight contest at Shanghai Indoor Stadium ended with scores of 30–27, 29–28 and 29–28 after Pavlovich’s cleaner punches carried him through three rounds.
Measured exchanges favored the more accurate attacks
The heavyweights began cautiously, with Pavlovich moving Cortes-Acosta toward the fence. Both landed during intermittent exchanges, but Pavlovich increasingly found his right hand when his opponent stepped into range.
Cortes-Acosta connected with punches of his own and remained competitive. He also tried working the body with his jab, while Pavlovich looked for opportunities to answer with the more forceful individual shots.
The counters kept arriving through the later rounds
Pavlovich landed combinations and a check hook in the second. Cortes-Acosta absorbed the attacks and stayed upright, preventing the fight from becoming another quick finish on the Russian heavyweight’s record.
The third followed a similar pattern. Pavlovich mixed leg kicks with his punches and repeatedly connected near the fence, while Cortes-Acosta’s forward bursts exposed him to further counters.
A second straight decision showed another route to victory
Cortes-Acosta entered on a five-fight winning streak, which ended with the verdict. Pavlovich had previously outpointed Jair Rozenstruik and added another full-distance success in Shanghai.
Known for the knockout run that established him in the division, Pavlovich instead relied on patience and selective offense across fifteen minutes. His opponent’s durability kept the contest going, but could not prevent all three judges from favoring Pavlovich’s overall work.
