The first round of Cosce’s UFC 255 bout.

Arcata-based MMA fighter Louis Cosce suffered his first professional loss on Saturday in his UFC debut against Sasha Palatnikov at UFC 255 in Las Vegas.

Cosce nearly knocked out his opponent numerous times in the first round, but Palatnikov was able to withstand the punishment and forced Cosce into the first multi-round fight of his career.

“I pretty much blew my wad trying to finish him that first round and paid the ultimate price,” Cosce told the Outpost. “Lesson learned.”

UFC sportscaster Joe Rogan noted during the fight that Cosce was able remain competitive into the third round despite tiring himself out in round one.

Round two.

“He’s tough as nails, there’s no doubt about that,” Rogan said. “He’s guttin’ it through.”

Palatnikov ultimately knocked Cosce down with a punch in the third round and forced the referee to stop the fight with a flurry of follow-up punches.


Round three.

While the bout was so early on in the night that it preceded the prelims, UFC President Dana White still deemed the match the best fight of the event. As a result, both Cosce and Palatnikov earned $50,000 bonuses for their “Fight of the Night” performance.

Dana White awards Cosce $50,000.

Cosce’s brother Orion Cosce, who was also scheduled to fight at UFC 255 but was scratched due to a neck injury, praised his brother after the match.

“I am super proud of my brother Louis Cosce,” Orion Cosce shared on Facebook. “He has done what no one else has done from Humboldt. I’m proud of him and thought he should have won, but fights go on and it is what it is. We will come back stronger in the future and he will be a champion for the organization. Thank you for your support.”

With his first UFC contest in the books, Louis Cosce said that he plans to improve his endurance for his next fight.

“Gonna start running like a madman,” he said.

Louis Cosce now has a professional record of 7-1.

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