How Cosmo Alexandre Learned To Be A Provider Through Martial Arts

Cosmo “Good Boy” Alexandre witnessed crime and violence as a child in São Paulo, Brazil, but he knew that if he worked hard enough, he could escape a volatile life on the streets.

The four-time Muay Thai World Champion – who returns to action against “Super” Sage Northcutt at ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON in Singapore on Friday, 17 May – took note of his grandfather’s work ethic, and applied it to his own endeavors.

“I grew up in my grandparents’ house with my mother,” Alexandre explains.

“My grandfather had a construction company, and he always worked hard. He was out of the house from 6am to 8pm. He was always thinking about the family and taking care of them.

“My grandmother looked after the house and the kids while my mother worked in the supermarket. I thought this was a good family model for me – everybody took care of each other.”

“Good Boy” surmised that his grandfather’s success was down to the relentless work schedule he maintained to provide for the household.

When he knew that he wanted to make it as a professional competitor in “the art of eight limbs,” he inherited that trait. He trained as hard as possible, and his efforts were rewarded with seven World Titles across Muay Thai and kickboxing.

Though Alexandre took inspiration from the work ethic he grew up watching, it was not until he had children of his own that he took different lessons from the family unit of his childhood.

He loved and respected the family’s breadwinner, but he could not imagine focusing so much on work and detaching himself so much from his own growing family.  

The Brazilian is motivated to compete so he can provide for his children, but he is also devoted to spending as much time with them as he can and watching them grow.

“He wasn’t like me, he was more serious,” recalls the striking specialist.

“He only played with me and my sister a little, but this was a good thing because now I see that I can do things differently.

“I feel I need to take care of my family because I love them, but now, the most important thing is to work enough, but spend more time with them.”

Alexandre is quick to stress that he appreciated his grandfather’s devotion to him through his work, and the impact he had on his life, but his absence shaped the way he would approach his role as a father.

Alexandre is now in a fortunate enough position to fit his career around his family life. Armed with the skills from a lifetime of training, and the experience from years of competition at the highest level, he can strike a balance between his gym and home life.

“Good Boy” takes an intelligent approach to how much time he spends preparing with his coaches and sparring partners. That keeps his body primed for battle in the world’s largest martial arts organization, and allows him to have the precious time to be hands-on in his own children’s upbringing.

“My grandfather was work, work, work, work. Of course, money is good because we have bills to pay, and I want to give my kids the good school, good food, and nice clothes, but it is not the most important thing,” he explains.

“It was a different time. I know his mind, and I understand, I have no bad feelings about it, but it taught me a lesson – train hard but train smart.

“For me now, it is most important to show people that you don’t need to do that – if you lose money here you can look for money later, but you can’t get your time back.”