Cosmo Alexandre Discusses MMA Debut Ahead of Giorgio Petrosyan Bout

After rounding out his 2009 by winning the prestigious King's Cup tournament in Thailand on three stoppages, Brazilian Muay Thai standout Cosmo Alexandre brought in 2010 by earning the It's Showtime 77kg. title with a stoppage victory over Dmitry Shakuta. Having defended his title once, Alexandre dropped a decision to Nieky Holzken in a 72.5kg. bout at It's Showtime 2010 Amsterdam.

Alexandre returned to action after a seven month layoff in December at the 2010 edition of the King's Cup tournament. Hoping to defend his title from the previous year, the Brazilian was able to again make it to the finals where he met Yodsanklai Fairtex. Alexandre lost a decision which has since been questioned by many of those who have had the opportunity to watch it. With his participation in the King's Cup tournament, It's Showtime decided to strip Alexandre of his belt and he was removed from the ranks of the promotion altogether.

A bout against Giorgio Petrosyan will begin Alexandre's 2011, as he is set to meet the K-1 MAX champion at the Fight Code 2011 event in Milan, Italy on March 12th. While Petrosyan is certainly the favorite, those who understand what Alexandre brings to the table recognize that he has the potential to give Petrosyan all that he can handle in the 70kg. contest.

In anticipation of the bout, Tatame recently caught up with the native of Santos, Brazil. While Alexandre may be looking ahead to his bout with Petrosyan, the discussion with Tatame interestingly centers on his long-term interest in establishing a mixed martial arts career. Currently training alongside UFC veterans Gabriel Gonzaga and Ricardo Funch at Team Link in Massachusetts, Alexandre has often indicated that he wishes to make the transition to MMA. While we've explored the efforts of notable strikers transitioning to MMA before, Alexandre may be able to buck the unfortunate trend of inept grappling as he is said to be developing solid Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and wrestling to compliment his Muay Thai base.

Unfortunately for Alexandre, it seems that there is one major hurdle that he must overcome before entering the arena of mixed martial arts: finding a willing opponent. In talking with Tatame, Cosmo indicated that he has committed to numerous bouts stateside only to wind up without anybody willing to square off against him.

I find this to be quite interesting. Certainly, we hear all the stories about top-notch fighters having struggled to find competition in regional promotions and what not. Then again, nine people have so far lined up to be dismantled by Olympic freestyle wrestling medalist Alexis Vila. Although the state of affairs in MMA would seem to tell you otherwise, perhaps it's the Muay Thai base troubling the competition? Well, whatever it may be, I can tell you that Strikeforce has recently put some Muay Thai talent on display and I wouldn't mind seeing a bit more of it.