Cosmo Alexandre wants to welcome Vitor Belfort to ONE Championship

Earlier this month, Brazilian striking expert Cosmo Alexandre derailed the ONE Championship debut of Sage Northcutt with a jaw-dropping first-round knockout.

For those unfamiliar with Alexandre’s body of work, this outcome came as a shock. Yet it’s just the kind of outcome the Brazilian destroyer had envisioned for himself.

“I was ready for a war,” Alexandre told BJPenn.com in an exclusive interview. “I trained so hard for this fight. But we never know what can happen. As athletes, we train for every situation. I caught him with a good, clean punch and that was it.

“I thought he would try to stand for few seconds and then try to take me down, but he had no time to do this,” Alexandre continued. “The fight was so short, he couldn’t get going.”

JUST. LIKE. THAT! Cosmo Alexandre knocks out Sage Northcutt 29 seconds into the first round 👊 @CosmoAlexandre #WeAreONE #EnterTheDragon #Singapore #MartialArts pic.twitter.com/Nh32Z1LNjU

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) May 17, 2019

Cosmo Alexandre has reached championship heights on the kickboxing and Muay Thai circuits, but is a relatively sparse 8-1 as a mixed martial artist. Of all the MMA victories on his record, he says this knockout of Northcutt stands out as the most significant.

“Without a doubt, this was the biggest win of my mixed martial arts career,” he said plainly.

Unfortunately, the biggest win of Alexandre’s MMA career left Northcutt in the hospital with a badly injured face — something the Brazilian didn’t wish on his opponent.

“I messaged him already,” he said. “As soon I heard about his surgery… it’s terrible. He was my opponent and not my enemy. I have a lot of respect for the kid and he has a good future. I wish him a speedy recovery. He has many good things going for him and I have no doubt he will be back stronger and wiser, and a much better athlete.”

Unfortunate injuries notwithstanding, Cosmo Alexandre now stands out as one of the top welterweight mixed martial artists in ONE Championship. In fact, he might even have positioned himself for a title shot opposite reigning ONE welterweight champion Zebaztian Kadestam.

Having collected so many titles in the Muay Thai and kickboxing rings, however, Alexandre says titles are not his priority at present. Instead, he’s looking for the biggest fights possible.

He’s even got a matchup in mind.

He wants to welcome former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort to the ONE Championship cage.

Image: Onefc.com

“I’m not interested in the belt right now,” he said. “Right now I want the big fights. I would love to welcome Vitor Belfort in his ONE Championship debut also. I have three more fights in my contract and I want big fights, big challenges.

“I just want to make big fights now. I already have seven world titles, I already fought all the big names in Muay Thai and kickboxing. So for now, I just want the big names, and to make big money.

“I can fight mixed martial arts, Muay Thai or Kickboxing. I can do it all, and I bring everything I have in the ring or cage. I am waiting just for the call.”

Vitor Belfort does not yet have an opponent for his ONE Championship debut. That said, he’s expressed interest in a special rules boxing match with Roy Jones Jr.

Whatever the case, after his stunning knockout win over Sage Northcutt, Cosmo Alexandre has options.

Who do you want to see him fight next?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 5/30/2019.