Ryan Spann moves to heavyweight for UFC showdown with Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Ryan Spann is changing things up.

At UFC Fight Night 254, Spann (22-10 MMA, 8-5 UFC) will make his promotional heavyweight debut against “Salsa Boy” Waldo Cortes-Acosta (12-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC). The bout takes place March 15 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Twitter user @realkevin first reported the bout.

Spann, 33, snapped a three-fight skid at light heavyweight in October when he made quick work of veteran Ovince Saint Preux with a first-round submission victory. Spann is the second Fortis MMA product to move from light heavyweight to heavyweight in recent months. His teammate Kennedy Nzechukwu went 2-0 in 2024 at the new weight class.

Cortes-Acosta, 33, aims to extend a three-fight winning streak to four. That stretch includes victories over Lukasz Brzeski, Andrei Arlovski, and Robelis Despaigne.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night 254 lineup includes:

• Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Ryan Spann
• Daniel Barez vs. Andre Lima

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 254.