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There is a storied history of siblings succeeding in the UFC. Family names have been etched into the folklore of MMA through success in its leading organization. From the submission specialist Shamrocks to the brawling Diaz brothers and the Kyrgyzstani army knife Shevchenko sisters. Strong tribes with big impacts.
The Cosce brothers aim to join this illustrious list. Louis and Orion Cosce made headlines in 2020 when they both received UFC contracts off the back of impressive performances in Dana White's Contender Series. While Louis came up short in a Fight of the Night brawl with Sasha Palatnikov at UFC 255, Orion has yet to make his debut, with a shoulder injury scrapping a previously scheduled bow.
However, as Orion Cosce [7-0] told Sportskeeda in this exclusive chat, he's fully recovered and looking to extend his winning streak on the big stage.
Orion Cosce's recovery from injury
The nickname 'Galaxy' seems like a no-brainer for someone called Orion. Yet it's especially astute for Orion Cosce, a fighter who has had a gravitational draw towards victories in the early stages of his career. Of the prospects signed to the UFC but yet to make their debut, he is among those with the most hype.
He and his brother were supposed to make their debuts on the same card, UFC 255. Unfortunately for Orion Cosce, a shoulder injury meant he couldn't face off against Danish 'Lokomotivo' Nicolas Dalby in their welterweight bout.
It was a 'neck and shoulder' injury that involved his clavicle being out of place.
"They were like, 'Yeah, you're not gonna be able to train for six months, you're not gonna be able to lift weights, you can't squat anymore. No more deadlifting.' And I was like, 'Alright, so what do I do?' And then after two weeks I was like, you know what, I'm just gonna fucking push through the pain, I don't give a fuck anymore.' All the time, my right arm was like completely numb the whole way down to the fingers. It was hard to do any pressing for like the first month, but then I just almost thought, 'I'm just gonna force it.' Then, a couple of days ago, I went to a chiropractor. He takes a look, he tells me to take my shirt off. I take it off, and he's like: 'It looks like you went like this [Cosce mimics one side taking more weight than the other] with your entire body. That's a pretty quick adjustment to do. It will take about an hour for us to do it with a massage.' I was like, 'Are you serious?'"
It doesn't seem like the wisest move to ignore pain or numbness but it worked out fine for Orion Cosce. The injury originated from a hard shot that he received in training. The wrestling takedown caused a sort of whiplash. Yet by the end of the chiropractor session, Cosce felt strong enough to ask his chiropractor to use all of his body weight to hold him down. It was at this point he thought: 'I'm back.'
"He's like, 'Now, don't be a dumbass. Don't train over the weekend. I'm telling you right now, take it light. Do some push-ups, do some pull ups, go for a run, go for a swim.' So pretty much the last couple of days, I've just been taking it easy just doing light weights, light neck work, light back work, nothing too extreme. That way nothing pops back out of alignment. Just because when that happened it was pinching a lot of the nerves of the brachial plexus region."
Full disclosure: This interview took place about ten days ago, so Orion Cosce's fitness has kicked on a little more. Beware, future opponents. Cosce goes into further detail about his recovery, how he needs to ease his body back into the swing of full training. He drops a lot of technical terms regarding his anatomy and the potential injuries that can occur if he pushes himself too hard.
The friends Orion Cosce has made along the way
As Orion Cosce tells me later, he's a student of the game, one who reads up on nutrition and strength training. I find this out when I ask about the financial pressures of not fighting for so long. Cosce isn't stressed about it. He's acquired sponsorships to support his training camps and cuts cost by bartering and trading with friends he's made along the way. If someone he knows is travelling his way, he greets them with hospitality, knowing that they will happily return the favor.
"I was building bridges and not making enemies along the way. Take one of my past opponents, Wally Wester, for example. We had a great fight. It was a fun fight. I managed to get the finish, but right after the fight I was talking with him and his corner and they were saying, 'Anytime you come to Aruba, you're more than welcome.' We told them if he's ever down in the Sacramento region, because I live around here in Roseville, that he's more than welcome to come stay in the gym for a week. Now all he has to do is to pay for the flight. He doesn't have to worry about having a home to stay in. He doesn't have to worry about food too much, you know,.I just tell them, 'Hey, pay for the travel and bring a little bit of money if you want to go and do things.' But other than that now he doesn't have to worry about food, doesn't have to worry about the cost of rent, which is pretty expensive nowadays. Then the typical cost of training per day at a gym is usually $30 to $50 drop-in fee or if you do like a one week pass, $100."
Orion Cosce goes on to list more examples of the friendships that he's made in MMA. I wonder aloud if having a brother in the sport has made him more open to building bridges. He acknowledges that it may have made the journey easier, but it seems like Orion is the type of person who acquires friends easily. He doesn't want to play any games with a persona, doesn't want to start pointless feuds. He's here to fight and enjoy the experiences that come on this battered and bloody road.
"I don't want to change who I am just because I'm in the UFC. What got me into the UFC was my fighting and personality. So now I don't plan on changing anything. I'm gonna still be the athlete that likes Dragonball Z and all the other anime, enjoys playing video games and hanging out with his friends over the weekends and stuff like that. No need to change."
Potential details of Orion Cosce's UFC debut
The likely date for Orion Cosce's UFC debut is 'May or June,' which is right around the corner. Overtraining had been a problem and it's something that Cosce will need to keep an eye on. But the pace of his training has levelled up again after injury caused it to taper off. The Nicolas Dalby fight is one that could yet happen.
Cosce received word of the fight first time around on his honeymoon. His manager called and asked if he was in. It was a short phone call. Considering that Dalby has since fought and won, Cosce would understand if he didn't want that fight, if he instead wanted a ranked opponent.
"I would definitely like to face Dalby in the future. That guy's a vet in the sport. This is his second run in the UFC, so I wanna see what he's made of. Not in a disrespectful way or anything. The guy puts on some shows and those are the kind of fights people enjoy."
While Dalby is a desired opponent, Orion Cosce isn't picky. He's ready to scrap, and UFC fans are equally raring to go for his debut.
