Fighting for the fun of it at age 35
Canadian welterweight Patrick Cote is looking for his third straight win
Nearly 15 years into his career as a professional fighter, Patrick Cote admits he has trouble getting out of bed on occasion as the rigours of the sport and 11 surgical procedures make the 35-year-old welterweight feel like he’s twice his age from time to time.
Despite the aches and pains that accompany earning a paycheque inside the Octagon, the longtime Canadian standout is enjoying things more now than he has at any point in his career.
“I was pretty smart with my money and I was pretty smart with the choices that I made in my career about the opportunities I had in front of me,” explained Cote, who works as an analyst during UFC broadcasts on RDS when he’s not preparing for a fight of his own.
“Now I’m fighting because I still want it, not because I want to and I have to. I’m not stressed about winning a fight because I’m not going to be able to put food on my table.
“For sure, I want to win every time, but this is less stressful, for sure. I can just enjoy the moment, try some new things and whatever happens, happens.”
After spending the majority of his career competing in the middleweight division, including challenging then-champion Anderson Silva for the title at UFC 90, Cote made the move down the scale to join the welterweight ranks a little less than two years ago, kicking off a career resurgence for the Rimouski, Que., native.
One of six Canadian fighters to compete on both of the UFC events in this country last year, Cote used the shows on home soil to rebound from a decision loss to Stephen Thompson in the fall of 2014. First came a hardearned win over Joe Riggs in Montreal that was accompanied by a massive ovation from the hometown fans, but it was his followup performance in Saskatoon that really resonated.
Cote marched into the cage and threw down with veteran Josh Burkman, the two happily standing in the pocket blasting each other with big power shots for the opening 10 minutes before Cote brought the fight to a close and the crowd to its feet with a clean right hand to the jaw.
“That was my first stoppage in the UFC since 2008, so it was about time for me,” said Cote.
“I like Josh — we’ve known each other a long, long time and we’ve been fighting on the same UFC card a couple times. That was a fun fight and a great finish for me.”
Hopeful the victory would earn him a date with a Top-15 opponent, Cote instead returns to action against another resurgent veteran, Ben Saunders, squaring off with “Killa B” in the final preliminary card fight of the Jan. 17 Fight Night event in Boston, where the Canadian veteran spent a number of years training under the watchful eye of Mark DellaGrotte at Team Sityodtong.
While it may not be the fight he wanted, the relaxed and ready Cote will be happy to pick up a third consecutive victory and continue making his case for a ranked opponent once he’s done.
“It is going to be an amazing event; the TD Centre is going to be jampacked and I’m still going to ask for Top-15 guys after that, just like I did after Burkman.
“At the end of the day, I’m not the boss. I’m the fighter and I’m an employee of this company and I’m going to fight the guy in front of me.
“I know I have my hands full with Saunders, who is reaching to crack the Top-15, too, so let’s do it.”
You can catch Cote’s fight with Saunders Jan. 17 on The Fight Network or UFC Fight Pass.
E. Spencer Kyte covers mixed martial arts for The Province and is the author of Keyboard Kimura (theprovince.com/mmablog). Follow him on social media: @spencerkyte