Kelsey Mowatt
2009 has likely been a long and drawn out year in the life of Patrick Cote. After the 29 year-old-fighter climbed his way to the top of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s middleweight division, courtesy a 5 fight winning streak, a knee injury Cote incurred in the third round of his title fight with champion Anderson Silva last October, has sidelined the Canadian ever since.
“Not fully, but it’s doing very well,” said Cote, when asked whether or not his knee is fully recovered yet. “I’m starting to push a little bit harder and everything is going very well. I’m really happy.”
“I’ll be ready probably in October,” Cote added. “That’s the target.”
Cote earned his shot at Silva’s belt by working his way to a tightly contested Split Decision over Ricardo Almeida nearly one year ago, and after having faced the champion himself, he hopes to make his return against another notable competitor.
“I don’t have a name right now,” Cote told FCF. “I just want a good fight. I want to be in a good show and put on a good show for the fans. I think I’m able to put on a good show against anybody so I want a top guy right away. We’ll see what the UFC will give me.”
With other notable middleweights like Demian Maia, Nathan Marquardt, Dan Henderson, and Michael Bisping, among others, all getting ready for bouts this summer, depending on what transpires, there may not be a lot of big names available come October. Yushin Okami is another of the division’s more accomplished fighters, and although the injured knee which kept him out of UFC 98 may prevent him from returning this Fall, he’s a possible opponent that interests Cote.
“Yeah sure,” said Cote, when asked if he would be interested in fighting Okami. “He’s a really good fighter and he’s at the top of the middleweight division. So for sure. That would be a really interesting fight for me to come back for. If not him I’ll take another one.”
Anderson Silva will next face Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 on August 8th, a light-heavyweight bout that was put together, after the champion’s last two title defenses have not produced the highlight reel material fans have grown to expect. In addition, recently President Dana White conceded that the promotion might look outside of the organization (perhaps in Vitor Belfort’s direction) for the next challenger, further fueling debate as to whether or not the UFC has a viable contender within the organization.
“I’m 50-50,” said Cote, when asked if he agrees with the idea that Silva has cleaned out the division. “I’m not stupid. I know that Anderson is incredible and one of a kind in the world, but, nobody is unbeatable and he’s only human. In my last fight I don’t think I won the first two rounds but I was still there, still standing in the third round. I received his best punch I think and I was still there. Our game plan was perfect and we were exactly where we wanted to be. I don’t think he’s unbeatable but it will be very difficult to beat this guy.”
Cote was indeed the first fighter to take Silva into the third round since the Brazilian signed with the UFC, who when the two met, was on a 7 fight winning streak, and had stopped names like Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson and Nathan Marquardt in under ten minutes. Despite Cote’s resiliency in the fight, and the fact it came to an end because of an injury, there was little substantive discussion of a rematch afterwards.
“At the beginning yes,” Cote said, when asked if he was bothered by the fact that his performance at UFC 90 didn’t lead to a rematch. “Now I just want to come back and just fight. I want to get a title fight. I want to fight him again, even if he’s not the champion anymore; I want to finish this business. I don’t care if he knocks me out or if I win, I just want a real decision. I do this sport to be number one and bad luck happened last time. My goal is to have a rematch. I can sleep though; I’ve been able to pass over it.”
