UFC newcomer Orion Cosce fighting for himself in debut

UFC welterweight newcomer Orion Cosce draws inspiration from Dragon Ball Z, the world famous anime series, namely its main character, Goku.

“Goku is super selfish,” Cosce explained in a recent interview with Fight Night Picks’ John Hyon Ko. “He doesn’t fight for his family or his friends; he fights for himself. … That’s what I want to do.”

That doesn’t mean Cosce won’t enjoy the extra paychecks that come with victory in the Octagon or that he doesn’t attribute some of his success to his wife, friends or training partners. For Cosce, it’s about being clear with why he fights.

“I fight because I like fighting,” he said.

The 7-0 fighter spoke about overcoming injuries, the state of the welterweight division and the return of Nick Diaz in a 20-minute interview with JHK ahead of his upcoming bout with Philip Rowe at UFC Vegas 33 on Saturday, July 31.

Cosce was originally supposed to join his brother, Louis, in the UFC in November against Nicolas Dalby. But Cosce had to drop out of that fight with a shoulder injury. Doctors told him it could be up to a two-year recovery period. Cosce was back in the gym four months later.

“I was like ‘Fuck you,'” Cosce said of his conversation with the doctors. “My body feels great. I feel like I’m going to be a lot stronger as an athlete going into this fight because I did research on my own body.”

The shoulder injury wasn’t the first time in Cosce’s life he overcame the odds. He described a 2019 car accident where he was rushed to the hospital and the doctors wanted to immediately undergo surgery, fearing he could lose his leg. He requested they look at the x-rays, which came back negative for broken bones.

“I got lucky with that,” Cosce said. “I was back wrestling in six weeks.”

Against Rowe on Saturday, Cosce hopes he won’t have to deal with any injuries. He wants a quick finish and to turnaround and fight again soon after, even saying he’d be willing to fight three times in five weeks, “like I used to.”

“(Rowe) is a great athlete,” Cosce said. “But I’m going to go out there and try to fucking hurt him with every single shot and takedown.”