Waldo Cortes Acosta vs Derrick Lewis Pick, 01/24/2026 Predictions UFC 324 Odds

by Josh Schonwald - 1/22/2026

Waldo Cortes Acosta vs Derrick Lewis

UFC 324

T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas

Saturday, January 24, 2026

Waldo Cortes Acosta will take on Derrick Lewis at UFC 324 on Saturday, January 24, 2026. The moneyline has Acosta coming in at -350 while Lewis is at +285.

Waldo "Salsa Boy" Cortes Acosta steps into the cage with a mark of 16-2-0. The 34-year-old is weighing in at 260 lbs and stands in at 6'4". The orthodox fighter has an arm span of 78". Derrick "The Black Beast" Lewis stands 6'3" and is weighing in at 260 lbs. The orthodox fighter will be looking to add a win to his record of 29-12-0 (1 NC). The 40-year-old has an arm span of 79". When talking about significant strikes, Waldo Cortes Acosta connects on 5.55 per min while Derrick Lewis lands 2.51 significant strikes per minute. Cortes Acosta connects on 48% of the significant strikes he attempts and Lewis connects on 50%. When it comes to defending themselves, "Salsa Boy" takes 3.53 significant strikes per min and "The Black Beast" takes 2.49. Cortes Acosta also stops 55% of the significant strikes that are aimed in his direction while Lewis is able to deflect 40% of the strikes thrown his way.

ufc picks Waldo Cortes Acosta predictions best bet odds

UFC 324	Waldo Cortes Acosta	Derrick Lewis
Opening Odds	-350	+285
Record	16-2-0	29-12-0 (1 NC)
Average Fight Time	10:34	8:52
Height	6'4"	6'3"
Weight	260 lbs	260 lbs
Reach	78"	79"
Strikes Landed Per Minute	5.55	2.51
Striking Accuracy	48%	50%

Regarding wrestling, Waldo Cortes Acosta is not as efficient of a grappler as he is averaging a takedown 0.35 times per 15 min. Cortes Acosta is taking his opponents to the canvas on 50% of the times he tries and is defending 72% of the takedowns his opponents attempt. Lewis is getting his opponent to the mat on 26% of the takedowns he attempts and is stopping 52% of all takedowns attempted by his opposition. Regarding submissions, Cortes Acosta is not as skilled of a technician by trying 0.1 subs per 15 minutes while Lewis tries 0.6 subs per 15 minutes.

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The last time he stepped into the Octagon, Waldo Cortes Acosta fought Shamil Gaziev and ended up winning this fight via a punch to the head in round 1. Gaziev ended up landing 6 of 15 of the strikes he threw in total in this fight. Acosta ended the night having landed 15 of 26 total strikes. In terms of significant strikes, Gaziev ended up landing 6 of 15, which gave him a rate of 40%. He ended up landing 4 of 13 significant strikes aimed at the head. On the other side of the cage, Acosta ended up landing 47% of his significant strikes by sticking 10 of 21. Looking at the significant strike accuracy, he connected on 8 of 19 to the head. 100% of the significant strikes landed by Gaziev and 90% of them landed by Acosta were done at distance.

In the last fight for Derrick Lewis, he battled Tallison Teixeira and ended up winning this fight via a punch to the head while on the ground in round 1. Teixeira ended up connecting on 100% of the significant strikes he tried at a distance and Lewis landed 22% of the significant strikes he tried at a distance. Lewis connected on 52% of his significant strikes attempted by connecting on 9 of 17. He ended up landing 8 of 16 significant strikes directed at the head. Teixeira connected on 3 of 5 significant strikes in that fight. In regard to the placement of these significant strikes, he ended up landing 3 of 5 aimed at the head. In relation to total strikes that he let go in that fight, Teixeira connected on 3 of 5 while Lewis landed 10 of 21 total strikes.

Other bouts to keep an eye on

An additional bout that shouldn't be missed is when Arnold Allen squares up against Jean Silva. Allen steps into the cage with a record of 20-3-0. The 31-year-old tips the scales at 145 lbs and measures 5'8". The southpaw fighter reaches 70". Silva stands in at 5'7" and will fight at 145 lbs. The orthodox fighter comes into this bout holding a record of 16-3-0. The 29-year-old reaches 69". In terms of takedowns, Arnold Allen takes his opponents down 0.93 times per 15 minutes while Jean Silva takes his opponents down 0.50 times per 3 rounds. Regarding striking, Allen tags his opponents 3.45 strikes per min and connecting on 41% out of all the strikes he attempts. The other fighter in this bout is Jean Silva, who connects on 51% of the strikes he attempts and connects for an average of 4.79 per min.

If you're into fun fights, you're going to want to see when Deiveson Figueiredo is set to battle Umar Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov steps into the Octagon with a mark of 19-1-0. The 30-year-old records a weight of 135 lbs and measures 5'8". The orthodox fighter extends his reach 69". Figueiredo measures 5'5" and steps on the scale at 135 lbs. The orthodox fighter steps into the cage with a record of 25-5-1. The 38-year-old extends his reach 68". Concerning grappling, Umar Nurmagomedov is able to curb 79% of the takedowns his opponents try and is taking his opponents to the mat on 47% of his tries. Figueiredo is finishing his takedowns on 35% of his attempts and is able to deflect 57% of all takedown tries against him. In the matter of striking, Nurmagomedov absorbs 2.04 strikes per min while he connects on 4.08 strikes/min. Figueiredo, at the same time, is absorbing 3.54 strikes per min and is connecting on 2.75 per min.

Who will win tonight's UFC match against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Waldo Cortes Acosta (-350)

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Waldo Cortes Acosta vs Derrick Lewis Pick, 01/24/2026 Predictions UFC 324 Odds

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