Patrick Cote Exclsive Interview: "This Is My Goal—To Be Champion"

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Eighteen months ago, Patrick Cote fought for the UFC middleweight title. It was September 2008, when Cote stepped inside the octagon to face hallowed champion Anderson Silva . 

For two rounds, the fight was going well. The fans cheered and shouted; UFC 90 was pumped. But at the beginning of the third round, Cote blew his knee out and was forced to bow out of the fight—much to his dismay, without the championship belt around his waist.

But now, a year and a half later, "The Predator" is preparing for a comeback. On May 8, he'll face Alan Belcher at UFC 113 in Quebec, Canada. Fight by fight, the Canadian fan favorite is looking to move closer to another title shot.

He wants that belt. And if history repeats itself, he'll get back to the top soon enough and, once again, enter the Octagon as the No. 1 middleweight title contender.

Recently, Cote (13-5) took some time out from training to talk to FiveKnuckles.com about past fights (Chris Leben ), future fights (Wanderlei Silva ), and where he fits in to the 185-lbs. division.

Oh, and don't forget to watch out for those Hulk gloves—they're making their comeback, too.

FiveKnuckles.com: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us, I know you're busy training for UFC 113 .

Patrick Cote : Oh, no problem.

FiveKnuckles.com: It was great to hear that you were back in training and your knees were feeling good. How hard was it to come back from that injury? Can you talk a bit about it?

Patrick Cote : It wasn't that hard. There was timing at the beginning that was a little bit rough. It took me two weeks and I was right on after that. Right now, I'm a better fighter than I was before. And I feel really good now.

FiveKnuckles.com: You haven't fought since October 2008, do you think ring rust will be a problem?

Patrick Cote : No, I don't think so. I feel very, very good right now. I have a really good training partner. And I train with better fighters than Belcher is. I'm so ready. I'm so pumped. I don't feel any rust at all.

FiveKnuckles.com: Last time you fought, it was for the title. A year and a half later, where do you see yourself in the middleweight division?

Patrick Cote : I think I'm still one of the best middleweights in the world. I'm very good on my feet at 185 pounds. I can fight against everybody and I can win against everybody. Right now, I have to still wait for the title fight and the battle starts again. This is my goal—to be champion. And I been there once and I think, truly, that I can go there again another time.

FiveKnuckles.com: Did you watch Anderson Silva 's latest title fight against Demian Maia ? Any thoughts on that?

Patrick Cote : Yes. Anderson Silva is the best fighter in the world. He thinks he can do whatever he wants. But there's a difference between being cocky and disrespectful, and I think he crossed the line right there. There was a lack of respect towards Demian Maia . And towards his fans. When you do all these things and all these funny things, you have to back what you do, and I don't think he did that in the fourth and the fifth rounds.

FiveKnuckles.com: Let's talk about Alan Belcher . How are you training for him? You feel strong?

Patrick Cote : I wanted to take a fight right away, that's exactly what I have. I'm really happy. Alan Belcher is a real tough guy. He's a gamer. He has a really good game. He has good skills on his feet and some defense skills on the ground, too. So he's a good match up for me. It's gonna be a good fight for the crowd. And yeah, for me, I can't have asked for a better fight. In my opinion, it's a really good match up for me, and I'm really confident to win this fight.

FiveKnuckles.com: Are we going to see the big Hulk gloves return for that fight?

Patrick Cote : Ah, probably, probably!

FiveKnuckles.com: Are you excited to be fighting at home in Quebec and having the fans on your side?

Patrick Cote : Yeah, sure! Actually, the first time they actually came here to Montreal, for UFC 83, and I was supposed to fight Alan Belcher this time, but I got injured. It's gonna be great. Especially at the weigh-ins, it's gonna be crazy. And the night of the fight, it's gonna be just awesome. It's gonna be good to fight in my town.

FiveKnuckles.com: You've always said that you like having tough opponents. Now that Wanderlei Silva 's dropped down to middleweight, would you be interested in a fight with him?

Patrick Cote : Oh, sure. I wanna fight the best fighters as possible. And Wanderlei is a legend. It's gonna be a true honor for me if I could. But right now, I just think about Alan Belcher right now. But for sure, I'd like to fight Wanderlei, too. If they ask me to fight him, I'll do it, for sure.

FiveKnuckles.com: Five years ago, you fought Chris Leben and lost a split decision that most people felt you should have won. Do you ever think back to that loss? Maybe try to finish fights more, which you've been doing?

Patrick Cote : Oh, sure. Everybody knows: don't let the judges decide for us. I ran out of time and the judge gave the decision to him. So you have to push the pace and try to stop the fight instead of a decision.

FiveKnuckles.com: Would you want a rematch with Leben?

Patrick Cote : Hey, why not? We'll see where I'm gonna be and we're gonna see where he's gonna be. And if it's a good fight for me to move up in the middleweight division, I'll fight him. But right now, I have to chose my fights right and I have to think about myself. I have to think about what'll be a good fight for me to get back and get a title shot.

FiveKnuckles.com: Ever think of going back to light-heavyweight? Take on Tito Ortiz again and get the win this time? You knocked him down quite a few times.

Patrick Cote : No, no, no. When I took my first fight at light-heavyweight, it was okay. But then I thought I knew I was too small to fight at light-heavyweight. Those guys are really, really huge. Really big. So I'm really comfortable at 185. I'm a big 185. I feel great, and I think my future is there.

FiveKnuckles.com: So you're just going to work your way towards the title.

Patrick Cote : Exactly.

FiveKnuckles.com: Patrick, I want to wish you the best of luck on May 8.

Patrick Cote : Ah, thank you very much,

FiveKnuckles.com: You have a lot of fans who can't wait to see you back in the Octagon.

Patrick Cote : Awesome. The fans are incredible, obviously. I got a lot of support from them since a year and a half, so I'm gonna fight for me, but I'm gonna fight for them too.