Orion Cosce ‘training hard’ for upcoming UFC fight
Orion “Galaxy” Cosce, ahead of his first Ultimate Fighting Championship bout, is doing the same thing that has kept him undefeated throughout his professional career — training harder than he did the previous day.
“Nothing changes,” Cosce, who will fight Nicolas “Lokomotivo” Dalby on Nov. 21 at UFC 255 in Las Vegas, said. “There’s a reason I’m undefeated. Everyday I train I am pushing myself harder than I did the last day. It’s always a harder workout than the last.”
Cosce (7- 0) earned his place on the late-November fight card after finishing Matt Dixon on Dana White’s Contender Series on Aug. 18. The fight, which Cosce ended via ground-and-pound in the third- round, earned the Weitchpec- born fighter a UFC contract.
Cosce’s seven opponents have never lasted a full fight. The undefeated fighter has finished six fights by TKO/KO, and one by submission.
Cosce’s brother, Louis Cosce, also earned a UFC contract with a win at the Aug. 18 Contender Series fight.
Orion Cosce said his brother is his ideal training partner.
“Louis is my perfect training partner,” Orion Cosce said. “He’s almost 100% identical to me physically. We just work hard and go back and forth with each other. We make each other better, tougher people.”
Both brothers for years have trained at Lost Boys gym in Arcata. Orion Cosce more recently began training with Team Alfa Male in Sacramento.
Every fight is the biggest fight
Cosce’s long-time coach Brian Wilson said at this point in his fighter’s career, “every fight is the biggest fight of his life.”
“Until he wins a belt and then maybe loses it and takes a fight after that, every fight he takes will be bigger than the last. That’s just the nature of the sport,” Wilson said. “We’ve fought on some big stages, but this is the UFC. Everything else is Canadian football, the UFC is the NFL. There’s nothing bigger in this sport.”
Wilson, who like Cosce will be participating in his first UFC fight night, said it is “uncharted territory” for his Lost Boys team.
“We’ll be fighting on a card with guys who are heroes to us — Jose Aldo, Robbie Lawler — those are guys (Cosce) grew up watching and I’ve been watching for years.”
Getting to know your opponent
Cosce said he’s watched a few fights worth of tape on his opponent, Dalby (18- 4-1).
While knowing what your opponent brings to the table is always worthwhile, the 26-year- old said the inside of an octagon is not a breeding ground for predictability.
“I watched some tape and studied him, but after that its all about working on yourself,” Cosce said. “You never know what someone is going to do. The best thing you can do is build your own weaknesses into strengths, and that’s what I do everyday.”
The 35-year- old Dalby is 2-3-1 in UFC sanctioned fights. His most recent
UFC fight in July ended in the first-round with a submission loss to Jesse Ronson (21-10). Since the beginning of 2018 Dalby is 4-2 in professional fights with one win via knockout.
“He’s a spastic fighter,” Cosce said. “He has some knockout power for sure. But he’s nothing special on the ground. I’ve fought tougher opponents.”
Cosce will fight Dalby in a three-round preliminary card bout at 170- pounds (welterweight). Both fighters are 5-foot-11. Cosce has a reach of 71-inches compared to Dalby, who’s reach is 74.5-inches.
Cosce, who walks around at around 200-pounds, said his years of competitive wrestling have trained him well for weight cuts.
“Cutting weight is nothing, I don’t even feel weak after,” Cosce said. “After the cut (and before the fight) I’ll start with drinking Pedialyte and coconut water to rehydrate. Then I’ll get some fruits and vegetables in me. After than I’ll get some good lean meats into my body. And I always cap it off with a bunch of sushi — like 8-10 rolls.”
Cosce said he’s had a productive training camp with no setbacks. As Nov. 21 nears, the fighter is itching to step into the octagon and begin his climb towards a UFC championship belt.
Cosce said, “When it’s time to fight, I’ll bite down on my mouthpiece, beat the f— out of this guy and make a bunch of money.”