Cung Le and Patrick Cote are an excellent and equal matchup at UFC 148. It’s a classic striker-versus-striker match, as both have disciplines primarily in striking and this match could turn into an all-out brawl similar to the Forrest Griffin-Stephan Bonnar match at the end of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter.
Le’s best ability is his kickboxing, as he is completely undefeated in kickboxing matches. As part of his excellent mix in kickboxing, he takes elements of sando, tae kwon do and basic kickboxing to create one of the nastiest arsenals of kicks. MMA Weekly notes that:
Le has marked his MMA career with spectacular kicks that come from every direction and angle, and still stands as one of the most unique fighters in the sport when it comes to his style of fighting.
That matchup issue could lead to a quick fight.
However, Patrick Cote should be up for the challenge. Cote comes into this fight as a late addition due to Rich Franklin taking on Wanderlei Silva at UFC 147. It’s not the first time he has been a late replacement for someone, though.
Early in Cote’s career, he took on Tito Ortiz and proved that he belonged in the promotion with a close decision loss. This fight should be something similar to the Ortiz fight for Cote in that it should go the full three rounds.
Unlike Le, Cote’s specialty comes from muay thai and boxing. But one thing that Cote has going for him that could lead to his victory: his heart. As Carlin Bardsley of SportsNet points out:
Cote knows he has to make the most of the opportunity he’s been given. Stepping up to fight a big name on short notice brings him back to the beginning of his UFC career and brings him full-circle. If he brings with him the same enthusiasm, the same grin, and the same punching power that he brought in his UFC debut against Ortiz, he may very well establish himself as a force once again in the world’s largest promotion.
Cote wants to win this fight as a way to re-establish himself in the UFC and eventually end up with a title shot in the light heavyweight division. Cung Le is trying to do the same as a fighter and this epic battle should be a way for both to have an excellent showing.
Both Cote and Le have amazing conditioning regimens and have the ability to punish their opponents and take punishment for 15 minutes easily. This should be an all-out war between two top strikers and the Fight of the Night.
Scott Carasik is a Featured Columnist and Trends and Traffic Writer for Bleacher Report. As a Featured Columnist, he covers the Atlanta Falcons, NFL and NFL Draft. He is also the Falcons analyst at Drafttek and also runs the NFL Draft Website ScarDraft.com and the host of Kvetching Draftniks Radio.
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