Prediction for the fight Andrey Orlovsky vs Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Since April 1999, Andrei Orlovsky has been performing at a professional level, and to this day is part of the leading MMA league on the planet - the UFC. He has the honor of taking part in the promotion's first event of 2024, Fight Night 234, which will take place on January 14 in Las Vegas. “Pitbull’s” opponent will be Waldo Cortez-Acosta, who has only four performances under the UFC banner, but even in such circumstances, the ex-champion will enter the cage as a huge underdog. Will “Salsa Fight” be Andrey’s last opponent in his career?

• Andrey Orlovsky vs Waldo Cortes-Acosta;
• Andrey Orlovsky;
• Waldo Cortes-Acosta;
• Comparative analysis;
• Game Totals Prediction.

Andrey Orlovsky vs Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Andrey Orlovsky

“Pitbull” holds many UFC records, and this is in addition to the championship in this league, of course, because he has been performing here since 2000, albeit with interruptions. In addition, Andrey is a world champion in sambo, a European champion in MMA, and has already fought almost four dozen times under the UFC flag. Let's add to this the fact that Orlovsky is one of the oldest athletes in the league.

Strengths

First of all, it is worth highlighting Pitbull’s striking skills: he is still quite good at moving on his feet and working from medium-long distance. The destruction of all tiers of the opponent, always strict adherence to the game plan and vast experience allow him to look competitive against the background of much younger opponents. However, many of Orlovsky’s advantages are erased due to age.

Weaknesses

Andrey began to significantly decline in activity (the number of punches he threw decreased noticeably), accuracy, reaction, and cardio as well. Many people talk about his jaw, but in recent years they have dropped the veteran, not so often. However, we are talking about a fighter with limited technique (the ground is not his strong point), whose advantages - speed and striking technique - are degrading.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

Very soon Orlovsky will turn 45 years old, and in his last 6 fights, he lost twice, in a row - to Marcos Rogerio De Lima and Don'Tayle Mayes. But the ex-champion outworked the middle peasants, like Vanderaa, Collier and Carlos Filipe, albeit with great difficulty. “Pitbull” stays in the pros only on his experience and the remnants of physics, however, it makes no sense to write him advances - another defeat, and Andrey should retire, because he is no longer able to remain competitive.

Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Waldo is a basic boxer who, before signing a contract with the UFC, managed to visit Bellator and LFA. He took part in the RUFMMA Grand Prix, and having won two victories in the competition, he left it, having received a more tempting offer. Otherwise, Cortez-Acosta’s path in martial arts is not remarkable, and he is also not considered as someone who will soon get to the top of the organization.

Strengths

Waldo is very active in the cage, throwing a lot of punches and having good accuracy. He is excellent from a long distance, knows how to break up the opposition without relying solely on single strikes, rather, here we are even talking about technical superiority, not physical. And this is provided that the Dominican is not the most outstanding athlete in terms of anthropometry.

Weaknesses

Everything related to close combat, and even more so clinching on the ground, is Acosta’s Achilles heel. He was repeatedly pressed against the net and did not experience any particular difficulties with control. However, at the same time, Waldo defends himself quite well from takedowns and does not allow himself to be submitted.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

The 32-year-old fighter is 3-1 in the UFC and lost only to the experienced Rogerio De Lima. At the same time, Cortes-Acosta has victories over Jared Vanderaa, Chase Sherman and Lukasz Brzeski. Waldo is an average player whose capabilities cannot be called impressive. However, he is capable of working out 3 rounds, if we are not talking about tough fights, and is also not without a knockout blow, so in the future, he is quite capable of dealing with an older veteran “without a jaw.”

Comparative analysis

The issue of anthropometry in this pair is not acute - Waldo has an advantage in arm span of only 3 cm, but otherwise they are identical. Much more important is how the meeting will take place, since it is Orlovsky who can dictate its course. The fact is that if he moves away from the standard manner of shooting combinations with a slight emphasis on distance, and rushes into clinches, or even tries to take the start of the match with the help of wrestling, then his chances of success are quite good. However, endurance will play a huge role here, and in this case, the age gap of 12 years could be fatal for Andrey.

Trying to interrupt Cortez-Acosta from a distance, provided that he delivers 2 times more accented blows, is generally stupid. So, either Orlovsky changes the plan for the fight and at least slightly increases the chance of winning on points 4.5, or he will be defeated by the favorite. What is noteworthy is that KO performed by both in the first minutes is unlikely to take place, judging by the statistics of heavyweights, but after the equator total over(1.5) 2.1, on Waldo’s part, this probability increases.

Andrey Orlovsky vs Waldo Cortes-Acosta Prediction

The younger, more accurate and active Cortes-Acosta, with such a gap in the odds, will almost certainly win this fight. In the current form, Orlovsky simply has nothing to cover his strengths with, unless he resorts to innovations, which Andrei has not shown for a good five years. The only question is whether Waldo will be able to finish off “Pitbull”, or will he crush him in class, giving him the opportunity to spend all 15 minutes in the octagon. Alternatively, you can consider betting on total under (2.5) rounds for 1.66, but total over (1.5) and betting on Cortez-Acosta's victory looks safer. Still, Orlovsky’s starting speed and experience should allow him to “survive” the first two rounds. Install the 1xbet app and place a bet on the favorite!

Prediction: Win of Waldo Cortes-Acosta/total over (1.5) by rounds