At UFC 148, Canadian middleweight Patrick Cote will try to build momentum in his return to relevance against skilled kickboxer Cung Le.
Cote is no stranger to the comeback. As a The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback runner-up, Cote knows what it takes to climb up the rankings after a rough patch.
Cote began his career inside the octagon after a 5-0 start on the Canadian regional scene against some light heavyweight in 2004 named Tito Ortiz. Cote would lose his UFC debut by unanimous decision and was promptly cut.
After just one victory outside of the UFC, Cote was brought on once again. This time as a middleweight. However, the results were still the same as back-to-back losses at the hands of Joe Doerkson and Chris Leben led to Cote’s dismissal from the company.
Determined to get back to the UFC, Cote once again hit the Canadian scene to rebuild his resume.
Once again, Cote was able to resurrect his career as back-to-back wins netted him an invite to the UFC’s lone Comeback season of The Ultimate Fighter. The season, which featured a cast of fighters who had previously fought in the UFC, proved to be just what Cote needed to revitalize his UFC dreams, as he beat Jorge Rivera and Edwin DeWees to earn a spot in the series finale.
Cote ultimately lost the finale to Travis Lutter, who subsequently went on to lose to middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
However, Cote used his solid appearance on the show to launch his most successful run in the UFC.
Cote would go on a five fight win streak that included wins over Kendall Grove, Drew McFedries and Ricardo Almeida.
As one of the best contenders in the middleweight division, Cote was granted a title shot against Silva.
Cote’s fight against Silva would be a turning point. After fighting hard for two rounds, and absorbing plenty of punishment from the middleweight champion, a knee injury forced an end to the fight in the third round.
Despite the valiant effort by Cote, the loss would be the beginning of a bad run. Cote would go on to lose back-to-back fights against Alan Belcher and Tom Lawlor before being cut in 2010.
Faced with yet another setback, Cote did what he has done throughout his career: He hit the comeback trail.
Cote strung together three straight victories in 2011 and most recently earned a first-round stoppage victory over Gustavo Muchado in 2012 on his way to earning yet another chance to make a run in the UFC.
Once again, Cote has climbed the mountain to earn himself a spot on the UFC roster. Although his granite chin and aggressive style always make him interesting to watch, he’ll need a victory over Le if he intends to stay with the UFC for a long time.
Only time will tell if Cote has what it takes to make another run and revitalize his career—again.
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