Patrick Cote Confesses

[pa99fighter]

Patrick Cote Confesses
By Debbie Lee

Currently riding on a wave of victory over three formidable middleweights -- Scott Smith, Kendall Grove, Jason Day and Drew McFedries -- it would be easy for Patrick Cote to boast about all of the things he’s done right over the past year and a half.

But instead, he recently made a confession.

“Up until now, there has always been something wrong, either big or small, or physical or mental, before going into a fight," said Cote.

This would certainly justify Cote’s less than impressive debut in the UFC. However, the 28-year-old’s admission was not just a self-serving excuse for poor past performances. Even throughout the course of his recent winning streak, the Quebec native felt that there was always a little something missing when he was inside the Octagon.

"When I had the fight with Grove, I was battling some personal problems that came up just one week before the event,” said Cote, hesitant to divulge details. “And then, with McFedries, I was still having problems with my knee (from an accidental fall in February). I think that’s maybe why I started off a bit slow.”

In spite of the inner demons and physical ailments that were kept under wraps, Cote still achieved first-round TKOs over both men.

Now, there are no more excuses for The Predator.

“Right now is actually the first time in my career that I am one hundred percent healthy, both physically and mentally," he said. “I am ready to go.” On July 5 at UFC 86, Patrick Cote promises to bring his “A” game and reveal his true capabilities, for the first time, against submission specialist Ricardo Almeida.

In order to keep his mental game (“my number one skill,” he’s previously stated) sharp, he prefers not to dwell on prior defeats – particularly, his frustrating losses to Chris Leben and Joe Doerkson.

"My earlier fights were all about rookie mistakes and bad luck," said Cote. “If there’s one important lesson I’ve learned, it’s that nerves are useless. The fight is going to happen no matter what, and being nervous is a waste of time and energy. I put everything in the past behind me. Now I’m focused, I’m collected, and my training is really complete. I just have to be smart and plan to put on my best performance ever.”

To deliver on the physical side of that promise, Cote has adjusted his training regimen accordingly. His goal: fortify his already-solid stand up game. To do that, he divided his time between training camps in Montreal, where he trained with Olympic-caliber wrestlers, and Somerville, Massachusetts, where he worked with esteemed Muay Thai coach Mark DellaGrotte. Cote, who has the utmost respect for Almeida, is not treating his opponent lightly.

“He is no joke,” said Cote of his competitor. “I feel like this will be my biggest career challenge to date. He was at the top of food chain in this division. Four years ago, when he left the sport, he was so close to the title. So this is a big fight for me and I am taking it very seriously.”

Almeida (9-2), a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, came out of early retirement in February with an effortless, first-round guillotine choke over Rob Yundt at UFC 81. The match up between he and Cote, a stand up fighter, has left some MMA fans scratching their heads. The Predator is certainly not among the confused.

“I can see the fight going three rounds but I’m pretty sure I’ll put him away in the middle of the second round,” Cote said matter-of-factly. “The plan is to keep it on my feet. It’ll be a real brawl -- a war, both physically and mentally.”

These days, such bold predictions are to be expected from Cote. His latest displays of knockout power have given his confidence level an astronomical boost. It’s hard to believe that only less than a year ago, he cited his own status in the UFC as “borderline.”

Straight out of the gate, it seemed as if a dark cloud was permanently fixed over Cote’s stateside career. First, his once-unblemished record was, in just ten months, marred by three frustrating UFC losses. Then, in 2006, he was given a new life with a spot
ad
on The Ultimate Fighter 4. At the finale, just minutes away from earning the comeback title, Cote watched the prize slip through his fingers in the first round, via armbar by Travis Lutter.

More recently, there was his last scheduled appearance at UFC 83 in Montreal – the organization's sold-out debut in Canada. Given a momentous chance to fight on his home turf, Cote suffered a fluke knee injury and was forced off the card. He spent the evening as a commentator for the event’s French telecast, but the original opportunity was sorely missed.

“I wanted to be on that card so bad,” he said. “There’s just no way to describe the feeling of being in an Octagon with thousands of people yelling. In Canada, it would have been amazing. Instead, I was out of commission for six weeks.”

It was as if every time Cote was on the verge of reaching a new career goal, something threw him for a loop. But there remained one constant: with every setback, Cote displayed an uncanny resiliency. He has rebounded from the loss to Lutter with four big wins (including one outside of the UFC over Day), and he’s gone from sitting out on the sidelines to being in the best condition of his life.

Having finally triumphed over his drawn-out, discouraging start in the UFC, Cote is relieved to move forward. The man who once had to fight just to stay in the game has found new motivations for achieving success.

“I don’t do this to be second,” he explained. “I don’t do it to be famous. I don’t do it for groupies. I push myself harder every day for one thing: to be the champion.”

But now that he can taste title contention, does he fear that he’ll be blind-sided by another cruel twist of fate?

"Right now, I just can't see myself losing,” said Cote. “Look, I’m in the biggest organization in the world. The most important goal is to take things one fight at a time. It’s a big mistake to come up with a big scenario for the long term. I know that with every fight, I’m lucky to be here. All that said, I can only see good things for the future."

War Cote!
Edit: Source: UFC® : Ultimate Fighting Championship®

[Problematique]

I like Cote and hope he does well in his next fight!
War Predator

[hunterkiller]

I don't see how they say his UFC debut was a poor performance. He was an unknown fighter outside of Canada, took the fight on short notice when Guy Mezger pulled out, and took Tito the distance. I wouldn't exactly call that poor.

I remember when Cote was being billed bigger than GSP. He was like the Bisping of Canada (best fighter from the country). Anyway, a win over Almeida would definitely put him within 1-2 wins of a title shot.

[bega]

I think I read some comments that winner of this fight will be next in line for the title shot.

Personally I agree with thecoylewis that winner should win at least one more fight to get a title shot. And depending on the number of factors ( if Cote wins, if UFC organizes event in Canada in the near future ), he might be getting that shot

[drop toe hold]

i have never been a fan of cote or never will be, he fights to me are just plain boring, i have never been impressed, i think he is a good mid level fighter but i can never see him being a champ in the ufc

war almeida

[hunterkiller]

Originally Posted by bega

I think I read some comments that winner of this fight will be next in line for the title shot.

Personally I agree with thecoylewis that winner should win at least one more fight to get a title shot. And depending on the number of factors ( if Cote wins, if UFC organizes event in Canada in the near future ), he might be getting that shot

I've seen the commercial advertising this fight and I interpreted it as being the winner moving closer to a title shot. I don't think it literally means they will get the next title shot. It's just a way to garner some interest in an otherwise ho-hum match. And in ho-hum, I mean to the casuals. I can't wait for this fight.

[twankydawg]

I like Cote and if he's at 100%, I think he can give anyone a run for their money, including Anderson. He has the kind of power and accuracy in his standup that alot of guys will never see.

[Nasty]

Sounds like he's got everything straightened out in his life now and that's good. He's still gonna tap to Almeida though.

[pa99fighter]

Originally Posted by Nasty

Sounds like he's got everything straightened out in his life now and that's good. He's still gonna tap to Almeida though.

Do you mean knock Almeida out?

[Unreal]

Fuck that, I can't believe so many people are rooting for Cote on this one.


I'm with Almeida all the way, not only do I like him more as a fighter but I think he has a better chance against Silva than Cote does.

WAR BJJ!!