Urbina, however, had other plans.

TUF alum Urbina opened up with some left hands early, chasing Cosce down. The action continued at a quick pace as the pair clinched up, allowing Urbina to fire knees to the body. As the round progressed, Urbina got the fight down, controlling the back and later getting on top, moving to mount with ease. That prompted Cosce to briefly give up his back, then turn face-up again; Urbina, still in mount, dropped punches to the body, then elbows to the head as Cosce covered up.

If nothing else, Cosce had briefly reclaimed half-guard, but Urbina soon passed to side control, then mount, just having his way from the top and utterly dominating Orion Cosce. In the final minute of the round, Urbina locked up an arm-triangle choke, but sat in mount rather than stepping over the body. Despite surviving the choke, however, Cosce had to contend with a deluge of punches from the top. He twisted, rolled, bucked, and somehow survived the round — just barely.

After a rough opening round, Orion Cosce opened round two with a high kick. Between rounds, he’d informed his corner of a rib injury, but it didn’t seem to be hampering him too much as he walked Urbina down. Urbina then got going with kicks both high and to the leg, while using his length to create space, his jab and front kick finding success.

By the midway point of round two, Cosce had his back to the fence and was under fire briefly; moments later, a kick to the body saw him lock up. Whether it hit the injured ribs or not, Cosce’s night was done as Urbina sealed the deal with a knee.

Gilbert Urbina gets it done!!

Secures the TKO for his first win inside the Octagon 👏 #UFCVegas73 pic.twitter.com/F7Awcul6aA

— UFC (@ufc) May 20, 2023

Official Result: Gilbert Urbina def. Orion Cosce by TKO, Round 2, 2:55

The post UFC Vegas 73: Body Kick, Knee Sees Gilbert Urbina Stop Orion Cosce appeared first on Cageside Press.

Lupita Godinez Interview (2:32)

Kicking off this edition of TTP is our interview with UFC strawweight, Lupita Godinez. Godinez discusses becoming a fighter known for short notice opportunities. Just 42 days after beating Cynthia Calvillo, she’ll step up on short notice to take on Emily Ducote in a UFC Vegas 73 main card fight. It’s not the first time she’s stepped up and helped the UFC out. From the sounds of it, it also won’t be the last time. She not only breaks down the fight for us, but also gives us her thoughts on fighting a fellow prospect after facing a rash of established veterans. Also, she talks about getting back to her wrestling to show people some of the stuff she’s been working on.

Fights, Dogs, and Parlays: UFC Vegas 73 (13:19)

This week, the UFC heads back to the Apex for some strawweight action. Mackenzie Dern gets another chance to headline a card, this time opposite fan-favorite Angela Hill. The winner of this one will do big things for their rankings at 115lbs. Plus, we’re breaking down a pair of other fights off of this main card. In addition to that, we’ll give you an underdog and a parlay that we think can make your wallet fat this weekend. Don’t miss these picks and you’re chance to take down the books. For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Orion Cosce Interview (24:30)

Closing out this edition of TTP is our interview with UFC welterweight, Orion Cosce. Cosce discusses the sudden rash of illnesses that he suffered through that led him to miss out on fighting for over ten months. Now back and entirely healthy, he’s looking forward to build on the momentum he started when he got his first octagon win last year. He’ll fight former Ultimate Fighter cast member Gilbert Urbina on the prelims of this Saturday’s UFC Vegas 73.

The post TTP Ep. 378 with Lupita Godinez, Orion Cosce, and UFC Vegas 73 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The fight would move forward, with both Cosce and Blood Diamond — who had twice before been lined up for a fight — looking for their first UFC win.

It wouldn’t be an easy night for the winner.

Both fighters took the center of the octagon after a touch of gloves. A low kick from Blood Diamond opened the fight, followed by a high kick from Cosce. Blood Diamond landed a front kick and blocked a hook from Cosce. Cosce shot for a takedown, but Diamond stuffed it. Cosce put Diamond against the fence. About two minutes in, Diamond reversed Cosce. Cosce landed a trip takedown, but Diamond got back up. Cosce landed another takedown, but this time Cosce kept him down in side control. Less than a minute left, and Diamond got back to his feet. Cosce landed a belly-to-back suplex but didn’t do much with it. The round ended with the pair of fighters back in the center of the octagon.

A low kick from Blood Diamond started round two. Thirty seconds into the round, Blood Diamond landed a punch that caused Cosce to clinch. Cosce put Blood Diamond against the fence. After about 20 seconds, they reversed each other. Two minutes into the second, and Cosce landed an elbow from the clinch. Blood Diamond eventually broke away and landed a body kick. Both men looked pretty tired with two minutes left. Blood Diamond landed an elbow and a front kick that hurt Cosce. On the break, Diamond landed a spinning back fist that hurt Cosce as “Galaxy” landed a back fist in return. Cosce was wobbled, but Diamond got clinched. Blood Diamond landed a knee that hurt Cosce as well, and began to light up his opponent. Cosce survived by clinching with Diamond.

The rare double backfist 🤯

[ #UFC277 Early Prelims LIVE NOW on @ESPNPlus ]
pic.twitter.com/Zzyede7wlA

— UFC (@ufc) July 30, 2022

Round three started, and both fighters were sluggish. Cosce landed a jab, and Blood Diamond responded with one of his own. Cosce put Diamond against the fence again and then landed a takedown. Blood Diamond got back to his feet, but with three minutes left, Cosce jumped on Diamond’s back. They’d go back down. Cosce locked up an arm triangle, but Diamond defended. The rounded ended with Cosce controlling Blood Diamond completely.

Official Result: Orion Cosce def. Blood Diamond by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC 277: Orion Cosce Picks Up First UFC Win Over Blood Diamond appeared first on Cageside Press.

Orion Cosce Interview (1:58)

Kicking off this week’s edition of TTP is an interview with Orion Cosce. After a long layoff following his UFC debut, Cosce is ready to get back in the cage. Frustratingly, he’s had multiple bouts canceled with Blood Diamond, but now they’ll finally get their chance to tango at UFC 277. He discusses that layoff and the long preparation for his opponent. Plus, he also digs into his thoughts on fight prep in general. He discusses how he feels about tape watching and how much is, or isn’t, appropriate for MMA fighters.

Fights, Dogs, and Parlays: UFC 277 (14:13)

What would an episode of TTP be if we weren’t breaking down the massive UFC 277 card this weekend, live from Dallas, Texas, and on pay-per-view. A pair of rematches dot the top of the card and the guys are giving you their picks for each of them. Amanda Nunes looks for revenge against Juliana Pena, and Kai Kara-France looks to get back an earlier loss against Brandon Moreno. Do the ones who won the first fight have the edge, or are things about to get knotted up? They’ll also be looking at an exciting heavyweight tilt between Derrick Lewis and Sergei Pavlovich. And, as always, Gumby and Shockwave are giving you an underdog and a parlay that they think will make your wallet fat this weekend. For this segment, odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Adam Fugitt Interview (28:32)

Closing out this edition of TTP is an interview with welterweight Adam Fugitt. Just this past Wednesday, Fugitt got the call to fight at UFC 277. He’s stepped up to the plate and discusses just how crazy this past few days have been. Plus, he shares memories about the long layoffs he’s had and how he considered walking away from the sport right then and there.

The post TTP Ep. 336 with Orion Cosce, Adam Fugitt and UFC 277 appeared first on Cageside Press.

A teammate of Israel Adesanya at City Kickboxing, Mathetha (3-1) was set to make his sophomore trip to the octagon in Singapore next month. However, an undisclosed injury has forced him from the bout.

BJPenn.com was first to report the news, which Cosce later confirmed on social media.

“Unfortunately the news is true that my fight has been cancelled for UFC 275. Gonna keep training and stay ready for the next opportunity. Hopefully we can get rebooked as soon as Mathetha is healthy or someone else,” wrote Cosce, adding “Trying to fight a couple times this summer. All good.”

Cosce (7-1) last fought in July last year, losing in his promotional debut against Phil Rowe. Orion and his brother Louis both fought their way into the UFC as part of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020. After the Rowe fight, Orion was booked against Blood Diamond for a date in February, which also fell through. Cosce was pulled from the fight on short notice, and replaced by Jeremiah Wells.

UFC 275 is set for the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore on June 11, 2022. The event is headlined by a pair of title fights, with light heavyweight champ Glover Teixeira and women’s flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko in action. The event currently shapes up as follows:

• Glover Teixeira (c) vs. Jiří Procházka – for the UFC light heavyweight championship
• Valentina Shevchenko (c) vs. Taila Santos – for the UFC women’s flyweight championship
• Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jędrzejczyk
• Rogério Bontorin vs. Manel Kape
• Jack Della Maddalena vs. Ramazan Emeev
• Seung Woo Choi vs. Joshua Culibao
• Jake Matthews vs. André Fialho
• Jacob Malkoun vs. Brendan Allen
• Steve Garcia vs. Hayisaer Maheshate
• Kang Kyung-ho vs. Danaa Batgerel
• Liang Na vs. Silvana Gómez Juárez
• Ramona Pascual vs. Joselyne Edwards

The post Blood Diamond Injured, Fight With Orion Cosce Off UFC 275 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Iridium Sports Management announced that their client Orion Cosce will fight Blood Diamond, otherwise known as Mike Mathetha, at UFC 275 on June 11. The pair of fighters were scheduled to fight at UFC 272 in February; however, Cosce had to withdraw from the fight.

A source close to the situation confirmed the welterweight fight to Cageside Press.

Cosce (7-1) suffered his first professional loss in his UFC debut. While he had a successful first round, he was eventually stopped by Phil Rowe in the second. Prior to that, he received a contract on season four of Dana White’s Contender Series. He holds a 100% finish rate.

Like his opponent, Diamond (3-1) suffered his first professional loss in his UFC debut when he was dominated at UFC 272 by Jeremiah Wells. He entered the UFC following an extensive kickboxing career and is the latest fighter from City Kickboxing to make it to the UFC.

🚨 #TeamIridium Fight News 🚨

Our man @GalaxyCosce is ready to make waves vs. Mike Mathetha on June 11 ✍🏾 #TheDarkside pic.twitter.com/h4AyvqIn6Y

— IridiumSportsAgency (@TeamIridiumISA) April 16, 2022

UFC 275 will take place in Singapore on June 11 and will feature two title fights.
So far, UFC 275 looks like this:

• Glover Teixeira (c) vs. Jiri Prochazka – for the UFC light heavyweight title
• Valentina Shevchenko (c) vs. Taila Santos – for the UFC women’s flyweight title
• Robert Whittaker vs. Marvin Vettori
• Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Zhang Weili
• Brendan Allen vs. Jacob Malkoun
• Silvana Gomez Juarez vs. Na Liang
• Brendan Allen vs. Jacob Malkoun
• Kang Kyung-ho vs. Saimon Oliveira
• Orion Cosce vs. Blood Diamond

The post Orion Cosce vs. Blood Diamond Rebooked For UFC 275 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Late Friday night, Orion Cosce posted on his verified Instagram that he was out of his UFC 271 fight with promotional newcomer Blood Diamond.

“Got some good news and bad news,” Cosce wrote.

“Bad news: I got the super flurona that all you sick people (both vaccinated and unvaccinated) been spreading a couple of weeks ago. Tried to push through it but was out for almost 3 weeks. This means I won’t be able to perform at [UFC 271] for the UFC.”

“Good news: I lived (obviously) and am able to do light training sessions once a day. Looking to continue to get back to my 2-3 sessions a day and be able to perform in the future sooner than later.

“Thanks for the support and love. I’ll make a full recovery. I’ll be back better than ever. Looking to get back to doing MMA training with the big boy crew Team Alpha Male MMA and helping them get ready.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYvICIFLgUP/

Cosce (7-1) is coming off the first loss of his professional career. Phil Rowe finished him in his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night: Hall vs. Strickland.

There is no news as to whether (3-0) will be staying on the card, although with his teammate, middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, headlining the card, there is a good chance he will remain on the docket. Blood Diamond (properly Mike Mathetha) will be making his UFC debut.

UFC 271 takes place February 12, 2022, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The card breaks down as follows:

Israel Adesanya (c) vs. Robert Whittaker – for the UFC middleweight championship
Jared Cannonier vs. Derek Brunson
Kyler Phillips vs. Marcelo Rojo
Vinc Pichel vs. Mark Madsen
Roxanne Modafferi vs. Casey O’Neill
Alex Perez vs. Matt Schnell
Ed Herman vs. Maxim Grishin
Mana Martinez vs. Ronnie Lawrence
Alexander Hernandez vs. Renato Moicano
Carlos Ulberg vs. Fabio Cherant
A.J. Dobson vs. Jacob Malkoun
Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Sergey Morozov
Blood Diamond vs. TBD
Bobby Green vs. Nasrat Haqparast
Derrick Lewis vs. Tai Tuivasa
Andrei Arlovski vs. Jared Vanderaa

The post Orion Cosce Out Of UFC 271 Fight With Blood Diamond appeared first on Cageside Press.

MMA Fighting was the first to report the news that Orion Cosce will be the one to welcome Blood Diamond to the promotion at UFC 271 on February 12. A source close to the situation subsequently confirmed the welterweight fight to Cageside Press.

Mathetha (3-0) enters the UFC following an extensive kickboxing career and will be the latest fighter from City Kickboxing to make it to the UFC. It will be almost a year since the New Zealand fighter had his last fight when he enters the octagon at UFC 271. He defeated Dimps Gillies at Eternal MMA 50 earlier this year in February.

Cosce (7-1) will be looking to bounce back from his first professional loss. In July, he was finished via TKO in his UFC debut by Phil Rowe at UFC on ESPN: Hall vs. Strickland.

No location, venue, or broadcast plan has been officially announced for the February 12 UFC pay-per-view. However, the highly anticipated middleweight championship rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker is rumored to headline the event.

UFC 271 currently looks like this:

• Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Sergey Morozov
• AJ Dobson vs. Jacob Malkoun
• Kyler Phillips vs. Marcelo Rojo
• Renato Moicano vs. Alexander Hernandez
• Casey O’Neill vs. Roxanne Modafferi
• Vinc Pichel vs. Mark O. Madsen
• Carlos Ulberg vs. Fabio Cherant
• Blood Diamond vs. Orion Cosce

The post Blood Diamond’s UFC Debut Set, Will Fight Orion Cosce At UFC 271 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Still, both he and Orion Cosce, who was making his promotional debut on the night, were in search of that first UFC win. Rowe had debuted earlier in 2021, dropping that fight to Gabe Green. Cosce was undefeated to start the night, a perfect 7-0.

“The Fresh Prince” Phil Rowe found himself backed up to the fence to start the night against Cosce. And before long, Cosce completed the body lock takedown, with plenty of force behind it. Cosce landed essentially in side control but soon found himself in Rowe’s closed guard. Rowe actually locked in a body triangle from the bottom, but soon enough scrambled out and up — only for Cosce to push him right back into the fence.

The opening round of the fight was frankly dictated by Orion Cosce, who landed a sharp elbow off the break during one grappling exchange. Rowe pulled guard toward the end of the round, ate a few punches for his troubles, then finally got some offense in case of a knee once he regained his feet.

Round two of Rowe vs. Cosce looked like an entirely different fight. Rowe found himself pressed into the cage again to start the round. But this time, he broke free, and back at center, began teeing off on Cosce. A low blow halted the action, but when they got back underway, Rowe wobbled Cosce! Cosce found himself under fire, Rowe unloading lefts and rights as his opponent covered up. The ref urged Cosce to fight back, and somehow, he did.

The hands are flying in RD 2! 👊 #UFCVegas33 pic.twitter.com/HTyPlMTqag

— UFC (@ufc) July 31, 2021

Orion Cosce had to be seeing stars after that attack. Credit to his chin, he managed to survive, and even hurt Rowe, backing him up to the fence. Cosce slowed the fight down briefly, but when Rowe escaped, he locked on a clinch and began landing knee after knee. When the pair separated, it was Rowe doing more damage with his hands, rocking Cosce. Again, the ref urged Cosce to fight back — and he did. Just not for long. Soon, Rowe had him wobbled, retreating, and a right hand sat Cosce down moments later, which sent in the ref to wave off the fight.

Official Result: Phil Rowe def. Orion Cosce by TKO, Round 2, 4:21

The post UFC Vegas 33 Results: Phil Rowe Leaves Orion Cosce Seeing Stars appeared first on Cageside Press.

MMA Fighting was the first to report the news that Orion Cosce will be making his UFC debut against Phillip Rowe on July 31 at a yet-to-be-announced UFC event. Sources later confirmed the booking to Cageside Press.

Cosce (7-0) received a UFC contract on season four of Dana White’s Contender Series after defeating the highly touted Matt Dixon via TKO, in an upset. His brother Louis won a contract the same night. “Galaxy” was scheduled to make his debut at UFC 255; however, an injury pulled him from the fight. Cosce rehabbed the injury himself and 100% healthy again.

Rowe (7-3) had his long-awaited promotional debut spoiled at UFC 258 when he lost a unanimous decision to Gabe Green. “The Fresh Prince” had his seven-fight win streak snapped. Before his loss, Rowe has won all of his fights by stoppage, holding a 100% finish rate. Injuries kept him out of action all of 2020.

The UFC’s July 31 event does not have an official location, venue, or broadcast plan announced. No main event has been announced.

The following bouts have been reported for the Fight Night card:

• Bryan Barberena vs. Jason Witt
• Collin Anglin vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan
• Jinh Yu Frey vs. Istela Nunes
• Rafa Garcia vs. Chris Gruetzmacher
• Orion Cosce vs. Phillip Rowe

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