Cote

Canadian Hoping For UFC 154 Bout in Montreal

By Kelsey Mowatt

Heading into UFC 148, Patrick Cote consistently said that he would not back away from a stand-up fight with the renowned striker Cung Le, and during the July 7th bout the middleweight lived up to his word. Although Cote pressed Le throughout much of the bout, the decorated San Shou fighter countered effectively with his trademark strikes, and also scored a trip takedown in round three.

After the competitive and entertaining fight, all three judges scored it 30-27 in favor of Le.

“I think the first round was very close,” Cote told Full Contact Fighter. “In my mind I won the second and lost the third. I was the one who pushed the pace. A lot of people told me that the fight was very very close and don’t understand the 30-27. But at the end of the day, don’t leave it in the judge’s hands.”

Despite the well documented kicking abilities of Le, which have been known to break limbs from time to time, Cote will not be forced to the sidelines as a result of the memorable bout.

“No serious injury,” Cote said. “Got stitches on my head and some bruises on both my ankles. I want to fight soon. I’ll be okay to train full time, so maybe next week.”

UFC 148 marked the first time Cote has fought for the promotion since July, 2010, and due to the loss, the French Canadian fighter has now lost four straight in the Octagon.

That said, Cote likely provided the promotion what they were hoping he would: a strong showing in a high profile, main card fight.

As a result, it will be interesting to see who the promotion matches Cote up against next, who had won four straight bouts prior to facing Le.

“November in Montreal would be great,” said Cote, when asked when and who he would like to fight next. “I have no one in my head; I’m not in a position to make that decision. Anyways, I’ve never chosen my opponent. I’ll fight whoever is in front of me.”

The UFC is expected to return to Montreal on November 17th. A bout between interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit and champion Georges St. Pierre is tentatively scheduled for the UFC 154 card.