Patrick Cote: UFC Middleweight Sits Down for an Exclusive Interview

One of the most successful Canadian mixed martial artists in the sport’s young history, Patrick "The Predator" Cote has proven to be one of the top middleweight mixed martial artists in the UFC.

With his natural athleticism and incredibly heavy hands, Cote has emerged as one of the most dangerous competitors in the sport, meanwhile proving to be a legitimate threat to any of his fellow UFC middleweight contenders.

Although Cote first appeared inside the Octagon at UFC 50 in late 2004, he struggled against the world's best contenders, failing to register a victory in the UFC against the likes of Tito Ortiz, Joe Doerksen, and Chris Leben.

Fortunately for “The Predator,” he was invited to participate in The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback. Despite losing to Travis Lutter in the tournament's finale, Cote went on an impressive five-bout winning streak in the Octagon that eventually led to a shot at Anderson "The Spider" Silva’s 185-pound crown at UFC 90.

Although Cote did a nice job in the first three rounds of his match against “The Spider,” he was forced to withdraw from his bout because of a very serious knee injury.

After undergoing successful surgery, and enduring a year-and-a-half layoff, Cote was pitted against Alan Belcher. Although Cote looked to be back to full strength, his bout at UFC 113 was ended in a flurry of controversy, when “The Predator” protested that he was the victim of an illegal blow that would prove to catalyze his downfall.

“The Predator” will now look to start another run at the UFC’s middleweight championship when he faces Tom Lawlor at UFC 121 in Anaheim, California, United States of America on October 23rd.

Recently Cote took time out of his busy training schedule to give an exclusive interview.

As one of only a handful of Canadians to earn a shot at a UFC title, you are a pioneer of Canadian mixed martial arts. Do you feel at least partly responsible for the incredible amounts of popularity mixed martial arts has achieved in Canada?

Every time I fight I try to represent my sport and my country well. If I can help the sport grow in my country it is amazing. It’s a true honour to be an ambassador of my sport in Canada and that's why I try to do the right things to promote my sport in the right way.

Currently you are among a handful of Canadians that are competing at an elite level in the UFC, and in recent years young competitors like TJ Grant and Rory McDonald have burst onto the mixed martial arts scene in impressive fashion. How do you feel about the future of Canadian mixed martial arts?

I love to watch TJ and Rory fighting. They are amazing fighters. We have a really good prospect who will do big things soon. Can’t wait to see that. The sport in Canada is doing very well.

Prior to your run on The Ultimate Fighter that ultimately led to a shot at Anderson Silva’s middleweight belt, you were regarded as one of the best mixed martial artists to compete but never win inside the Octagon. Looking back, how thankful are you for the opportunity to compete on The Ultimate Fighter?

I will never say “thank you” enough to the UFC for this opportunity. It was a second chance and I took it. If they asked me to do it again, I will.

You had the opportunity to train with a number of high profile trainers and spent a great deal of time with a number of well-established mixed martial artists during your time on The Ultimate Fighter, is there any one individual that made a lasting impact on you?

Me and Matt Serra became very close and we are still close friends. But since the show, for every fight now I train with Mark Dellagrotte.

In your championship match against Anderson Silva, you made “The Spider” look very beatable through the first three rounds of your bout prior to suffering a major injury. Although you were taken out of commission for approximately a year-and-a-half, do you view your bout at UFC 90 as a positive experience?

Yes and no. It was the worst day of my life because you don’t want to lost (sic) by injury, but on the other side I proved to everybody that I was able to fight with the best.

You’ve been a professional mixed martial artist for nearly a decade and have probably spent thousands of hours training. Do you feel that your injury at UFC 90 was a long time coming?

Now I’m 100 percent. I don’t remember the last time I was 100 percent healthy. This sport is rough on the body. We train harder than the fight is supposed to be.

Even though you dropped your first bout back after an extended layoff from professional competition, you appeared to be back to full strength. Despite the match’s controversial finish, how do you feel about your last bout at UFC 113 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada?

I feel pretty bad. I’m pissed because I lost in front of my people. I felt good before the fight. I thought I was over that, but ring rust exists and it took me two minutes to be very comfortable in the Octagon. But I’ve learned and I’ll be better next time.

With wins over C.B. Dollaway and Kyle Kingsbury, Tom Lawlor has proven to be a threat to nearly everyone he has faced thus far in his career. How to you intend on taking out “Filthy” when you meet the The Ultimate Fighter 8 alum inside the Octagon at UFC 121?

I have to be 100 percent ready. I respect Lawlor. He is a handful for everybody. I know his game and we will put a good game plan together to knock him out.

Although Tom Lawlor is a young up-and-comer with a lot of entertaining bouts on his resume, he has dropped his last two bouts. With a victory over “Filthy” at UFC 121, do you see the UFC releasing Lawlor?

That is not my decision. I prefer to think about what I have to do to not be cut, instead of thinking about someone else.

With a win over Tom Lawlor, where do you see yourself in the UFC’s middleweight picture?

Just a step forward. I don’t care where I will be. I want big fights all the time, so we will see. First we have Lawlor in front of us.

Some mixed martial artists like Randy Couture and Mark Coleman have fought well into their forties; have you thought about how long you would like to compete as a professional mixed martial artist?

No. As long as my body will follow me.

At only 30 years old, you have a lot of time left to compete at a very high level in the world of mixed martial arts, but have you thought about what you might like to do when you retire from professional competition?

Yes for sure. I have a lot of projects and a lot of options when I’ll be done with fighting, but my goal is to be world champion.

Is there anything that you would like to say to your fans while you have this opportunity?

I have the best fans in the world, thanks for the support, it means the world to me.