Cosmo Alexandre is a hot name in MMA right now for his Knockout of the Year worthy destruction of ONE Championship newcomer and potential future face, Sage Northcutt at ONE Championship: Enter the Dragon on May 17, 2019. Alexandre has been a hidden gem in the world of MMA and combat sports for many years.
Beginning Roots of Combat Sports
MMA has a high crossover rate with other sports. Alexandre’s story is no different.
“I got involved in combat sports when I was 19 years old because I thought it would help me prepare better for soccer,” Alexandre told MMASucka.
“I ended up loving Muay Thai so I decided to change my focus.” At the age of 22 in 2004, Alexandre began kickboxing professionally winning both the WMC Middleweight Intercontinental title and WPMF Middleweight World title. “There are so many people that have helped me in my career,” Alexandre said. “It would be impossible to name them all. Of course I lean on my family and faith more than anything.”
Evolution in Kickboxing
Arguably the biggest success in Alexandre’s career came on August 29, 2009. He was victorious three times in the same night to win the Evolution 17 King’s Cup Qualifying Championship. One of those was over kickboxing legend John Wayne Parr. Parr has nearly 100 professional kickboxing wins in his career and is considered one of the most decorated champions ever in the sport.
Alexandre still competes in kickboxing today. His last two bouts for his current MMA promotion, ONE Championship, were in the kickboxing format with a win over Elliot Compton and a tough loss to Nieky Holzken. To add to his kickboxing legacy of nearly 90 fights, he also has a second victory over Parr which occurred at Lion Fight 25 in October 2015, where Alexandre earned the Lion Fight Super Middleweight title.
Interlacing MMA Into a Successful Kickboxing Career
Around 40 fights into his kickboxing career, Alexandre decided it was time to give MMA a chance. His first professional experience came in Bellator. His debut fight was at Bellator 52, where he dropped a decision to Josh Quayhagen. After this defeat and to this day, Alexandre has never again tasted defeat in MMA. Alexandre would compete under Bellator five more times. He won all five, including a rematch with Quayhagen at Bellator 80 by unanimous decision.
A full time kickboxing schedule made it difficult from the end of 2012 to the beginning of 2014 for Alexandre to compete in a cage. He soon made his return at Legacy Fighting Championship 28 (now LFA) where he defeated Texas veteran Rey Trujillo by first round knockout. After another break from MMA to continue kickboxing, Alexandre returned to MMA in September 2016 where he knocked out out Musu Nuertiebieke in the first round at Superstar Fight 5.
The Move to ONE Championship
Since 2018, Alexandre has competed exclusively under the ONE Championship banner. In April 2018, Alexandre competed on the ONE Championship: Heroes of Honor card where he defeated Elliot Compton via second round TKO. His next battle was a loss to kickboxing superstar Nieky Holzken in November 2018. Holzken currently has 92 wins in his career and multiple world championships.
ONE Championship decided it was time to make a push into the American market. In order to do so, many former UFC fighters were brought over. Among those was the young potential star, Sage Northcutt. Alexandre was pegged as the man to challenge Northcutt in the big debut. When the lights could not be any brighter, Alexandre put on a performance topping those of any of his prior MMA bouts. This moment even surpassed the Parr kickboxing victories, a swift destruction of ONE’s hopeful face of the future.
With one right hand and 29 seconds in, Alexandre dropped Northcutt and elevated his name in the MMA stratosphere.
“I’m happy to come out and put on a good fight for ONE Championship. They have given me great opportunities since I’ve been with them,” Alexandre told MMASucka. “I’m hoping Sage heals up quickly and can come back better than ever.”
So what’s next for Alexandre after an amazing moment?
“Honestly I’m not sure what’s next. I’m just going to enjoy this win and take a little time off to rest and see what’s next. I will talk to my family, coaches, and ONE Championship and take it from there.”
