Brazilian stand-up fighting legend Cosmo Alexandre to debut for Karate Combat in December

Cosmo Alexandre in action at ONE (Photo: Press Office)

PUBLICITY:

Multiple world champion in muay thai and kickboxing, Cosmo Alexandre will be the main Brazilian novelty on the Karate Combat 51 card, which will close the 2024 season and will take place on December 19, in Miami, United States.

The event can be watched live on the organization's official YouTube channel, and also on UFC Fight Pass Brazil, from 20pm (Brasília time).

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A native of São Paulo who lives in Florida, Cosmo, 42, has a solid professional resume, with 71 wins, 19 losses and one draw. He has faced the biggest names in 'striking' in recent decades, such as John Wayne Parr, Yodsanklai Fairtex and Giorgio Petrosyan, in addition to participating in MMA, with participations in Bellator and ONE FC.

The Brazilian had declared retirement after his last fight (a KO victory over Juan Cervantes, at ONE, in 2022). But he had the necessary breathing space in Karate Combat's proposal to change his plans.

“I had some problems (with ONE). They practically forced me to fight (former Glory champion) Nieky Holzken, at a weight class I couldn’t do, and I would probably be put on ice if I didn’t accept. I put my ego and pride aside, thought about my family and took the fight. From then on, I even got a better contract, but it didn’t work out. The atmosphere wasn’t good, I lost the will to continue with them and decided to quit,” Alexandre explained.

“Then, the Karate Combat proposal came this year. The communication was much better and I decided to accept. It’s an event based in Miami, where I live, and that makes things much easier. It will be very good financially too. I had no reason not to accept. I hope to feel good about fighting after two years of inactivity. I want to have at least three fights next year,” he added.

The Brazilian will fight in the middleweight division (up to 84kg). His opponent is currently being considered for the fight, which is Spaniard Igor DeCastañeda, who has a record of four wins and four losses for the organization. The fight is still under verbal agreement between the parties and could be made official in the next few days.

The category currently has a vacant title, as the former champion Ross 'Turbo' Levine (USA) announced his retirement after his victory over Albanian Adrian Hadribeaj in May this year.