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 B…
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.
(This time around, the UFC’s marketing department is looking to drive home the notion that sex sells once and for all.)
By Dan “Get off Me” George
In the immortal words of Bruce Buffer, “It’s Time!”
On the eve of perhaps the most anticipated UFC rematch in history, I hope to bring my fellow CP readers some insight on how to save your kneecaps from the bookies and perhaps even make a buck or two by trying to follow my logic with regards to potential winners and losers for UFC 148.
For the sake of brevity, I’d like to focus on the dogs. The real money is made betting on the underdogs, and besides, there is nothing more exciting than watching a guy like Alan Belcher twist and turn his way out of certain demise en route to cashing out at three times the amount you originally placed on him (Ed note: Way to rub it in, Dan).
All of our betting odds for this week’s enabler come courtesy of BestFightOdds, so let’s get it on!
I like Roller here, the price is fair and I do not see Alessio being able to do much but play defense in this fight. Look for Roller to pull out a decision while Alessio finds himself on the bottom or defending takedowns for the majority of the contest, not unlike his most recent decision loss to Mark Bocek at UFC 145. Simple.
This line has moved in favor of Fukuda slightly over the past 24hrs, showing that the public likes Fukuda more and more as the small underdog. I like Philippou if for nothing more than his performance against Court McGee, a fighter similar to Fukuda who likes to move forward and press the action. Philippou has ever-improving takedown defense and better striking than Fukuda, specifically with his hands, and I like him to stop Fukuda’s takedowns and make him pay with his fists.
(This time around, the UFC’s marketing department is looking to drive home the notion that sex sells once and for all.)
By Dan “Get off Me” George
In the immortal words of Bruce Buffer, “It’s Time!”
On the eve of perhaps the most anticipated UFC rematch in history, I hope to bring my fellow CP readers some insight on how to save your kneecaps from the bookies and perhaps even make a buck or two by trying to follow my logic with regards to potential winners and losers for UFC 148.
For the sake of brevity, I’d like to focus on the dogs. The real money is made betting on the underdogs, and besides, there is nothing more exciting than watching a guy like Alan Belcher twist and turn his way out of certain demise en route to cashing out at three times the amount you originally placed on him (Ed note: Way to rub it in, Dan).
All of our betting odds for this week’s enabler come courtesy of BestFightOdds, so let’s get it on!
I like Roller here, the price is fair and I do not see Alessio being able to do much but play defense in this fight. Look for Roller to pull out a decision while Alessio finds himself on the bottom or defending takedowns for the majority of the contest, not unlike his most recent decision loss to Mark Bocek at UFC 145. Simple.
This line has moved in favor of Fukuda slightly over the past 24hrs, showing that the public likes Fukuda more and more as the small underdog. I like Philippou if for nothing more than his performance against Court McGee, a fighter similar to Fukuda who likes to move forward and press the action. Philippou has ever-improving takedown defense and better striking than Fukuda, specifically with his hands, and I like him to stop Fukuda’s takedowns and make him pay with his fists.
Not with a ten foot pole, thank you very much. There is no way in hell would I touch Guillard at 30 cents on my dollar, and Camoes (or anyone, really) definitely has the ability to sub Melvin, especially given his propensity to throw as many flying knees as humanely possible against the grapplers he faces. If anything, I would look at the prop on the fight not going the distance, because I cannot see this fight being decided by the judges.
I like “The Eagle” for this one. He’s undefeated, relentless with his forward pressure and wrestling, and is not afraid to swing for the fences in the meantime. Tibau is in -200 territory and often relies on his ground game to get him to a decision win. I think the Khabib uses his Judo, Sambo, and size advantage to keep Tibau against the fence, maybe finishing Tibau later in the fight or winning on the score cards.
My heart wants Menjivar, but Easton has this propensity to win closely contested fights on the cards. It is basically a pick’em, and gun to my head, I am leaning towards Easton. Ivan has always had trouble with wrestlers throughout his career, and may simply be outgunned when forced to deal with the ridiculous speed and power of Easton.
Is there a prop for a fight ending via signature guillotine submission? How this fight even came to fruition is beyond me, but I still don’t like -500 and up territory even in a parlay. How many people got burned by Boetsch or Varner recently by putting -500 and up fighters in parlays? I think Mendes wins, but again, the prop Mendes wins by TKO, Sub or DQ is the way to go to make something off this fight.
I have a hard time picking 40 year-olds to win in the UFC not named Randy Couture. Nothing against Cung, but he is a small middleweight and Cote has the skill set to not be bullied by Le like he was against Tom Lawlor and the chin to withstand most of Le’s offense. Cote also has underrated striking, but I believe this fight will be more of Cote closing the distance on Le and trying to get the fight on the ground, where he can safely earn a decision win to ensure he sticks around for at least another fight.
Kim is built like a 185er, so Maia should not feel too out of place dropping to 170 here. Kim also fights like many of Maia’s past opponents, which would lead me to believe that Kim will spend the majority of this fight inside Maia’s guard. This fight is similar to Sass/Volkmann, where I thought Volkmann would end up winning a 30-27 snoozer across the board. Little did I know that Sass had other plans. In the spirit of great submissions, I like Maia to catch Kim, who despite appearances, is not as strong as the Munoz’s, Weidman’s, Herman’s, and Sonnen’s that Maia has faced before. Maia may be strong enough to control Kim from the bottom and finish the “Stun Gun” as a small underdog.
Ortiz at +250 territory is quite compelling. Forrest is a new father and something tells me this fight means a lot to him, unlike what we saw in his rematch with Shogun Rua, in which Forrest looked like he was running late for his return flight home. This will be Ortiz’s first and last fight as a UFC Hall of Famer, and he’s been talking like he’s ready to fight to the death, so look for him to try and find Griffin’s off button in the early going. As the two settle in, however, I expect Forrest to find his range and pick Ortiz apart like he did in the their second meeting. The odds should be closer by fight time, though not something to put in a parlay for my liking.
And here we are at last. I like Silva to win via keeping the fight standing and using the clinch effectively like he did against Yushin Okami when the distance is closed. I do not see Silva using many kicks at all, perhaps only when Chael is moving backwards (which Chael does not often do), and instead opting to box with Sonnen while using his footwork and hips (think matador vs bull) to keep Sonnen from getting this fight to the ground. We all know Sonnen’s gameplan by this point; his only chance here is if he can get this fight to the ground. Therefore, I will be looking at the prop Sonnen wins by decision, which should be near the +350 range, and is definitely hedge worthy, as the only way I see Sonnen winning is via 5rd decision.
Anderson Silva (-280) vs. Chael Sonnen (+240) Ryan Poli: I have to go with Silva on this one. He has the striking and jiu-jitsu advantage, plus plenty of time to work on his takedown defense..
Anderson Silva (-280) vs. Chael Sonnen (+240)
Ryan Poli: I have to go with Silva on this one. He has the striking and jiu-jitsu advantage, plus plenty of time to work on his takedown defense. I don’t see Sonnen being able to change his strategy and that will be his downfall. Although the odds were much less generous for all of Silva’s other opponents, I am somewhat surprised that the odds are as high as they are in Silva’s favor just based on the how their first fight played out. Winner: Silva
John Rivera: Anderson Silva wins by KO/TKO in the 2nd Round. “The Spider” will publicly execute Chael Sonnen….we know this because he is the greatest fighter in the history of the sport. Winner: Silva
Emily Kapala: I personally think that Chael Sonnen is being undervalued in the eyes of the oddsmakers. Not only would I pick Sonnen as the winner, but I think he is the highest value bet. While the odds are against him, I think he will be able to pull through with the victory this time around when he faces Silva in the octagon. Winner: Sonnen
Elise Kapala: In almost every fight with Silva, the opposing fighter is the underdog. However, the last matchup with Sonnen and Silva was so intense and draining on Silva, there truly is no underdog here. If I had to choose a winner, I would say Sonnen via knockout in the 3rd or 4th round. Winner: Sonnen
Alan Wells: If I’m picking a winner, I’m going with Silva but if I’m betting the money line, I’m going with Sonnen. I’m not interested in -280 odds and after Sonnen’s performance in the first fight, I’m willing to take a flyer on him. I’m not expecting to win but if I need action on this fight, I’m going with Sonnen. Winner: Silva
MMAFix Staff Pick: Silva (3-2)
Tito Ortiz (+255) vs. Forrest Griffin (-310)
Ryan Poli: I’m going with the favorite to win. Although I wasn’t impressed by either of them in their last fight, Shogun is a more dangerous opponent than Lil’ Nog. Plus I would say with the exception of wrestling, Forrest has every advantage (age, cardio, reach, striking, jiu- jitsu). Winner: Griffin
John Rivera: I think Forrest takes a unanimous decision this time around. As much as I love Tito, I think as a fighter, his best days are behind him. Rashad ravaged him, and Lil’ Nog took the rest…. Winner: Griffin
Alan Wells: I hate this line. I don’t understand why Griffin is such a significant favorite. I like him to win but -310 makes him a waste of money. Once again, if I feel the need to wet my beak for this fight, I’m going with the underdog but I don’t feel great about my chances of getting that money back. Winner: Griffin
MMAFix Staff Pick: Griffin (3-0)
Cung Le (+180) vs. Patrick Cote (-220)
Ryan Poli: Cung Le all the way. His striking is more diverse and Cote has been fighting against much lower level competition for quite some time. He just isn’t at Cung Le’s level. Winner: Le
John Rivera: The headline will read: ‘Cote KO’s ex Strikeforce Champ, Cung Le in the 2nd round due to the former’s punching power and the latter’s lack of cardio.’ Winner: Cote
Alan Wells: I think the oddsmakers are just screwing with me at this point. If MMA was a more popular sport, this line would be a lot closer because the public would be moving it toward Le. But the betting pool for MMA isn’t nearly as big as other sports so the line is right where it should be. I like Cote to win and that’s where my money is going if I have to bet. The odds aren’t great but at least they’re better than the two headliners. Winner: Cote
MMAFix Staff Pick: Cote (2-1)
Patrick Cote has had a long road back to becoming a UFC fighter. A one time challenger for Anderson Silva’s middleweight title, he’s had a lot of time to reflect on what he needed to change in his training camp and life style if he ever wanted to get b…
Patrick Cote has had a long road back to becoming a UFC fighter. A one time challenger for Anderson Silva‘s middleweight title, he’s had a lot of time to reflect on what he needed to change in his training camp and life style if he ever wanted to get back into the Octagon.
After stringing together four wins outside of the organization, he got his opportunity to return when Rich Franklin was pulled from his match against Cung Le to replace Vitor Belfort at UFC 147. For Cote, after falling from the big show and seeing life away from the UFC, he was desperate for another shot.
“I went to the middle of nowhere in my last fight. Amazon forests very deep in Brazil. It was a good life experience and I’m telling you right now, I enjoy this more today because of that,” Cote told Bleacher Report. “I enjoy this and I don’t want to go back there. I want to stay in the UFC. You’re like a rock star when you’re here and you have to enjoy it and appreciate it.”
Perspective is the key word for Patrick. After 11 fights in the UFC and an overall record of 4-7 in the promotion, he recognized that he was doing a lot of things wrong in the gym.
“I’m not back for one fight. I’m back because I want to make another run at the title. I’ve been there before and I was doing maybe half of what I’m doing in training now. I’m doing right now what I should have been doing three or four years ago.” He added, “I feel good. I have my hands full. Cung is no joke and I’m still very very confident. I did my homework and I’m ready to go.”
Even though he was no longer under contract with Zuffa, he never thought about signing with another organization. For him, the end goal was always to return to the UFC.
“In my head I was still a UFC fighter. Even if I wasn’t fighting in the big show. A lot of people asked me to go to other organizations, pretty big organizations. In my head and my heart I was still in the UFC. As a fighter I was still working for the company.”
Finally, as a man who has faced Anderson Silva, and the first to take the champion out of the second round in the UFC, he spoke about the legend that is the Spider.
“Fighting Anderson Silva is very complicated. Not just physically but mentally it’s very very complicated. I think the first fight when he fought Sonnen he was surprised by the pace. He looks pretty pissed now and that’s not a good sign.”
Patrick Coté fights against Cung Le at UFC 148 on July 7th.
Cung Le vs. Patrick Cote In a matchup clearly designed for entertainment, fan favorite Cung Le will face veteran Patrick Cote. Strikeforce tried to make Cung Le a superstar. They tried to sell his san.
Cung Le vs. Patrick Cote
In a matchup clearly designed for entertainment, fan favorite Cung Le will face veteran Patrick Cote. Strikeforce tried to make Cung Le a superstar. They tried to sell his san shou background and his wrestling background and his acting credentials. But the reality is that he’s a forty year old fighter with a 7-2 career record and no significant wins. He lost in his last fight against Wanderlei Silva, which proves he is not an elite fighter at middleweight. The UFC knew this when they brought him over from Strikeforce and they are using him to generate exciting fights against fighters who will be willing to stand with him. Enter Patrick Cote. Cote gets a chance to defeat a name fighter in his return to the octagon after being let go following three consecutive losses to Anderson Silva, Alan Belcher and Tom Lawlor. In hindsight, that release may have been premature given the emergence of Belcher.
This fight is not complicated to analyze. It will take place mostly on the feet. Le will employ all of the kicks and spinning techniques fans expect from him. He will use his wrestling defensively to keep the fight standing if Cote decides to strike. Le has the technical ability to keep Cote at a distance and outstrike him. He even has the power to finish the fight if he can land a clean combination. But Cote has never been finished via KO or TKO and I don’t expect Cung Le to do what Anderson Silva couldn’t. Cote will more than likely also want to keep the fight standing. He is a more traditional striker but that doesn’t make him any less of a threat. The power in his right hand is more dangerous than any single strike Cung Le possesses. He comes into this fight on a four fight winning streak outside of the UFC and he will be looking to use Cung Le as a step toward once again competing at the top of the middleweight division.
The oddsmakers currently have Cote favored at -245 with Le the underdog at +205. I’m not surprised to see Cote favored but I am slightly surprised at the margin. That said, Cote is the more experienced and probably more dangerous fighter. His striking is good enough to neutralize Le’s unorthodox style and earn the victory either via (T)KO or decision. If Le wants to earn the upset, he will need to utilize movement and keep Cote guessing and moving backward. Either way, this should be an entertaining fight between two dangerous strikers.
Dong Hyun Kim vs. Demian Maia
In a matchup of upper level middleweights, Dong Hyun Kim will face Demian Maia as both men look to move up the ranks at 185 pounds. Kim has won six of his seven fights in the UFC excluding his fight with Karo Parisyan that was ruled a no contest after Parisyan tested positive for PEDs. Maia has struggled recently losing two of his last three fights in the UFC.
Maia has been a fixture in the UFC middleweight division for years having risen as far as a title fight with Anderson Silva. He was outclassed badly in that fight and has been up and down since then with wins over Mario Miranda, Kendall Grove and Jorge Santiago and losses to Mark Munoz and Chris Weidman. He seems to struggle when he faces the higher level of competition with his most impressive wins coming against Chael Sonnen and Dan Miller. He still possesses some of the most dangerous jiu-jitsu in the world at any weight class but his opponents have been able to neutralize that by refusing to play the ground game with him. His standup has improved over the last few years but is not at a level where he can win a striking match against a top level fighter. He will likely struggle to get Kim to the ground in this match and will need to take advantage of any opportunity he gets to grapple. More than likely, most of this fight will take place on the feet and that does not bode well for Maia. His grappling is by far the most dangerous weapon either fighter brings to the cage but unless Kim allows him to utilize it, Maia will likely be stuck in another striking match.
Dong Hyun Kim has only one official loss on his professional record and that came against Carlos Condit who is one of the best middleweights in the world. That said, Kim has yet to earn a signature victory with his biggest win coming against Amir Sadollah. Maia represents an excellent opportunity to earn a victory over a well respected middleweight and take a step up in the division. Kim was a knockout artist in Korea but that has not translated over to his UFC career as he has won all of his fights by decision. His striking is solid but not excellent and he has the defensive wrestling to keep the fight standing. He obviously has the power to finish with his strikes but has not been able to show it thus far in the the UFC. A finish against Maia would be a major statement but a decision is much more likely. He will need to keep the fight standing because even though he is competent on the ground, no one is safe against Damien Maia and he would be foolish to play that game. If he follows the appropriate gameplan and keeps the fight standing, he is capable of outstriking Maia to earn the victory.
Kim comes into the fight as the favorite at -145 with Maia the underdog at +125. The line is appropriate and this fight seems to have a clear script. Maia is always a threat if the fight goes to ground but I see no reason why Kim would allow that to happen. If the fight stays on the feet, Kim will have the advantage and he should be able to land more cleanly on his way to a decision victory.
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…
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.
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.
