Fan favorite Chris Barnett returns to Fight Top Heavyweight Prospect

Chris “Beast Boy” Barnett returns to action for the first time in two years after a pair of retirements kept him out of the Octagon. The fan favorite will make his heavyweight return against Waldo Cortes-Acosta on Oct. 12 in Las Vegas, Nevada, sources told MMA Knockout on Friday. User ‘X’ NTRD_MMA was the first to report the clash.

Cortes-Acosta is knocking on the door of the top 15 after three straight wins, one of which was a decision victory over former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski. We last saw the 12-1 prospect at UFC 299 in March, where he derailed undefeated Robelis Despaigne via decision.

Representing the Dominican Republic, “Salsa Boy” Cortes-Acosta is looking to make it four in a row after suffering the first and only loss of his professional career to Marcos Rogerio de Lima last year.

“Hate me or love me, I’m here to stay and be the champion,” Cortes-Acosta said of his upcoming fight on “X‘.

Barnett’s UFC run has been a wild one since the American burst onto the scene in 2021. 2-2 in the main promotion, Barnett has won by TKO twice – once by wheel kick and the other by ground and pound, the most recently against Jake Collier at UFC 279 in 2022.

Barnett, 38, was scheduled to face Chase Sherman last year and Mohammed Usman in March, but pulled out of both bouts due to injury. By the time “Beast Boy” steps into the Octagon, it will have been 763 days since his last fight, marking the second-longest layoff of his professional career.

In a recent interview with Home of Fight’s Jake Noecker, Barnett revealed that he has signed with the UFC for four more fights after his latest win – the first of which will be against Waldo Cortes-Acosta on time.

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