· On The Spot ~ Patrick Cote

Patrick Cote (13-5), a native of Quebec, Canada, began his martial arts training while in the Canadian Army. He started out boxing, but quickly picked up kickboxing and wrestling. Once out of the Army and training full time, he quickly found himself competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), making his debut against UFC megastar Tito Ortiz. Cote would suffer his first loss in that fight, but would show the world that he was on the verge of bigger things in the sport. After losing his next two UFC fights to Joe Doerksen and Chris Leben respectively, he would have to find a way to get his career back on track. 

Cote’s potential would land him a role on The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback. He’d lose a possible title shot in the finale to Travis Lutter. From there, Cote would reel off five straight victories over top notch opponents: Scott Smith, Jason Day, Kendall Grove, Drew McFedries, and Ricardo Almeida. Earning him an opportunity to challenge for the UFC Middleweight Championship. 

The last time we saw Patrick ‘The Predator’ Cote he was being helped out of the Octagon after blowing out his knee in a title fight against Anderson Silva. Cote was the first contender to take Silva past the second round in his UFC career. Although Cote was behind on the scorecards, he had accomplished quite a bit in that fight, right up until the injury. Now, after surgery to repair his knee, ‘The Predator’ sits down with MMA Spot’s Brad LeBeau to answer a few questions about his recovery and future.
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BL:  First off, how is your recovery from the surgery going?
PC: Very, very well! I’m happy my surgeon did an amazing job. 

BL:  What did you take away from your fight with Anderson Silva?
PC:  That I lost the fight, but he didn’t beat me. I want to fight him again, but I will have to regain my place. 

BL:  If/when you are able to fight Silva again, is there anything you would do differently?
PC:  No, our game plan was perfect; we were exactly where we wanted to be. 

BL:  What do you think will be the outcome of the Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leites fight?
PC:  Leites is awesome on the ground, he can’t win on his feet, but if he is able to put Silva on his back, that will be dangerous for ‘The Spider’. 

BL:  Is there any particular fighter that you think would catapult you back into title contention? Has the UFC contacted you on a possible opponent?
PC:  Anybody in the top 5 or top 10. I always want big fights. I ain’t scared of anybody. 

BL:  We've seen your skills progress quite a bit over the years. What would you consider to be your biggest strength at this point in your career?
PC:  My mental aspect. I’m very strong mentally and on my feet. I ain’t scared of anybody. 

BL:  Do you feel that if you hadn’t started training with Mark DellaGrote that your fight game would be at the same level?
PC:  No, Mark and Fabio Holanda, my other trainer, work very well together. I have a perfect combination now.  

BL:  Canada has some of the most enthusiastic fans of the sport, what are your hopes for Mixed Martial Arts in Canada?
PC:  That MMA will be legal everywhere in Canada. Like in Ontario it is still illegal, and I found that completely stupid! 

BL:  Are there any up and coming fighters we should look out for from Team Sityodtong , BTT Canada, or Tri-Star?
PC:  In BTT Canada a guy named Tim Wadsworth is awesome , and I’m looking forward to seeing TJ Grant in the UFC in Montreal. 

BL:  What is your most memorable moment from training or fighting?
PC:  My first fight in the UFC against Tito Ortiz, it was just unreal.

BL:  Are there guys that you’ve fought that you’ve become friends with?
PC:  Not really, but when I fought Scott Smith we were already friends. But, you have to understand that it’s just business.

BL:  Being Canadian we see a lot of hockey players that have pregame rituals, do you have any before a fight?
PC:  No. Actually I’m just having fun. I’m not stressful. I don’t lose energy to being stressful because the fight will happen anyway. 

BL:  Tell us something about you that most people don't know?
PC:  I don’t know, there are a lot of things. But, if I want to keep my fans, maybe it’s better for me to stay quiet. Ha-Ha-Ha 

BL:  Are there any sponsors you would like to give a shout out to?
PC:  Yes, I would like to thank: Warrior Wear and One More Round. My manager Joe Cavallari, and all the support from the fans.

By Brad LeBeau