UFC 148 Results: Does Patrick Cote Deserve Another Shot in the UFC?

Patrick Cote was rather disappointing in his return to the UFC Octagon at UFC 148, with Cung Le out-striking him with punches and kicks.

Le was able to keep Cote off balance and uncomfortable, preventing the French Canadian from finding his ideal range. 

Le won a 30-27 decision from all three judges, and was in full control of the fight. There were moments where Cote was able to land heavy shots and clean combinations, but couldn’t follow it up with additional meaningful strikes.

Instead of being aggressive and forcing Le off his game, Cote ended up being the fighter frustrated—but he should still be given a reprieve by the UFC brass. After all, he took the fight on short notice because Le’s original opponent, Rich Franklin, ended up taking a fight with Wanderlei Silva instead.

Following the fight, Cote tweeted this message to his fans:

"

Losing suck bad , wanted to give a win for my fans and friends , sorry guys , love you all from the bottom of my heart !!

— patrick cote (@patrick_cote) July 8, 2012

"

Cote has lost four consecutive UFC fights dating back to 2008, when he lost three straight fights before being shown the door.

If anything, let Cote recover and get back in the gym so he can fight at UFC 154 in November at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The French-Canadian fighter will have added motivation to perform well in front of his home fans, and he remains extremely popular in his home country.

The UFC can look to match him up with the likes of Chris Leben (for a rematch), Wanderlei Silva or Franklin. If the UFC doesn’t want to use Leben or Franklin against Cote, perhaps calling upon Alessio Sakara or Riki Fukuda could lead to a good matchup. Give him a fight that will be appealing to the fans and something where he can try to build momentum. 

Follow @mhatamoto