A new fight booking announced for the UFC’s Ottawa card as Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone is set to take on former middleweight title contender Patrick “The Predator” Cote.
So, I guess Donald Cerrone’s long-term move to welterweight is now a surefire reality. Greg Jackson said as much before the Alex Oliveira bout, but that kind of thing is never really set in stone until the next fight booking comes in. And now it’s here, against a former middleweight. All the inter-divisional UFC action you can handle, as former middleweight title contender Patrick Cote is set to take on former lightweight title contender Donald Cerrone in a welterweight scrap. MMA Fighting first reported the news of the booking.
This will be Cerrone’s second welterweight fight now, after the aforementioned Alex Oliveira win at UFC Pittsburgh, back in February. Cerrone took a flurrying Oliveira down early in the fight to secure a quick triangle choke and rebound from his title fight loss against Rafael Dos Anjos. With the Ottawa card coming up in early June, this will put just about 4 months between appearances in the cage for Cerrone (maybe a little long for his preferences).
For Patrick Cote this fight comes on the back of a three fight winning streak for the reinvented and late blooming welterweight. Cote spent almost 4 years in the UFC between 2006 and 2010, before back to back to back losses got him his walking papers. However, after two years out in the regional wastelands, he re-emerged in 2012 for a fight with Cung Le. By 2013 he was a welterweight for the first time in his career and since then he’s only lost once, a decision to current top contender Stephen Thompson.
This should make for an interesting bout between two longtime veteran fighters with much more well rounded games than they’re generally known for. While primarily a kickboxer by nature, Cerrone’s ground game has always been something of an ace in the hole, against opponents that just wanted to take him down and grind him out. And for the power-punching Cote, he’s slowly evolved a really solid meat-and-potatoes wrestling and grappling game to go with his selective striking style. Should make for a solid action fight wherever it goes.
UFC Ottawa is set to take place on June 18th in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The headliner is expected to be a welterweight bout between Rory MacDonald and Stephen Thompson. Stay tuned as I’m sure more fight bookings are on the way.