Athlete of the Month May 24': Robert E. Cosme

Kristin Gordon

May 29, 2024

Our athlete of the month for May 2024 is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter by the name of Robert E. Cosme. Robert currently trains as a purple-belt at 10th Planet (10P), NYC, where he has proudly been a member since they first opened in March of 2019.

Where It All Started

When Robert was growing up, he was always captivated by both MMA and UFC, watching both on a regular basis. This is a major factor in what inspired Robert to learn a Martial Art, and he felt that Jiu Jitsu would suit him best.

One fight that sticks out to Cosme is UFC 140: Francisco Santos Miranda ‘Frank Mir’ v. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira ‘Minotauro’, which aired on December 10, 2011. This well known fight ended with Frank Mir breaking Minotauro’s arm in a wicked Kimura, which caught a young Cosme’s interest.

Cosme had always been athletic, participating in basketball, baseball and swimming in his earlier years. However, the more MMA he had watched, the more inspired he became to train. He also had the realization that he would most likely not be continuing basketball or baseball on a professional level in the long run, which catapulted him into the switch to combat sports.

The Switch to Combat Sports

Robert is very competitive and hates losing which only fuels his fire to train and improve. He actively competes in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Since he has begun his competitive journey, his career has prospered into competing at the highest levels, and some of the best promotions in the community. And he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon, having many goals for his BJJ career.

Cosme has had some incredible achievements for just the year of 2024 alone. He recently won his division in a Grappling Industries tournament by impressively winning all 5 of his matches. He also competed in the Flex Flight Series, going head-to-head with a blackbelt when he was still a blue-belt, and walking away victoriously. He also placed 1st at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Open as a blue-belt. He clearly earned a promotion from blue-belt to purple-belt this year, which any practicing martial artists knows is a huge achievement. Along with all of this, Cosme has competed consistently every month of 2024 so far with no injuries. Even with all of these impressive accomplishments under his belt, Cosme doesn’t plan on slowing down any time soon and still has many goals planned for his future.

Cosme’s goals including continuing to compete at the highest levels on some of the best stages in the world, and he hopes to win a championship belt in several different promotions. Cosme also hopes to get his blackbelt, but not for the reason you may think. For Cosme, it’s not about the belt, it’s about the thirst for the skills that inherently come along with it.

A blackbelt would also allow Robert the opportunity to open his own 10th Planet facility, which he would plan to open somewhere in New York alongside 10P, NYC. Robert formerly taught beginner BJJ classes at 10P, NYC and would love to start teaching classes again should his availability allow him. In the long run, he hopes to someday teach a BJJ seminar. Most importantly, an area that is often overlooked by many fighters, he commented on the importance of his health throughout the longevity of his career.

More Than Meets the Eye

Aside from his Jiu Jitsu training, Robert has many additional hobbies, such as: strength training, reading, watching anime, and still some swimming and basketball. He also considers himself a gamer for sure, indulging in classics such as UFC Undisputed.

When Cosme isn’t competing on the mat, he works as a Behavioral Health Technician at a Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Center in New Jersey.

When asked what his biggest influence is, Robert replied that it will always have to be Kobe Bryant and his “Mamba Mentality”. To sum up what the Mamba Mentality is, it’s more or less constantly trying to improve and be the best version of yourself. This could not be more fitting for our athlete of the month, as Cosme says it is the journey of getting better everyday that keeps him going.

Some insightful advice that Robert had to offer was:

‘You work hard, win or lose, you come back the next day ready to do it again. Just don’t stop.‘

Strong Support System

Cosme offers much of his thanks to where he is today to his coaches, Rey “StingReyRey” De Leon (Head Instructor & Owner of 10P, NYC) and CeCe Mena (Coach & Chief of Operations of 10P, NYC). He boasts about the support that he has had from day one, both inside and outside of Jiu Jitsu.

“He is an amazing student. He started with us from the very beginning and he is perfect example of the extraordinary grapplers we can produce here. Rob has his mindset sharp, always on hungry mode. One of the hardest working guys here at 10pnyc and one of my best rolls as well. He is only getting better and better each time he competes. He will go very far and he will accomplish many goals throughout his jiu jitsu journey. He competes in his weight class as well as 2-3 weight classes above his own. Rob is def on the come up. He has that drive in him that is hard to get, he was born with it. “
– Rey “StingReyRey” De Leon

Robert also shares his appreciation for his teammates who have gone above and beyond to show their support for one another. Without his teammates, there would be no place to train and no people to train with, making every single one of their presence crucial in importance.

One thing is for sure, with Cosme’s drive, ambitions, and thirst for knowledge, we have no doubt that we will be hearing his name again soon in the competitive sports world.