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PATRICK "THE
PREDATOR" COTE
Don’t Blink!
© Marc Wickert www.knucklepit.com
All photos copyright 2004 Zuffa LLC
Photography by Joshua Hedges Patrick Cote (pronounced ‘Coatay’) was born in Rimouski, Quebec, on February 29, 1980. And although Patrick may usually only get to celebrate his birthday one year in four, he hopes to be partying big time on Friday, October 22, at UFC 50: The War of ’04. Cote commenced training in a self-defense system when he took up boxing whilst in the Canadian Army. He then incorporated kickboxing and wrestling into his repertoire before taking up BJJ under Fabio Holanda. For UFC 50, Patrick will be representing the Team Union stable of fighters, which includes Phillipe Lagace, Frederic Poirier and Francois Flibotte. Cote says he has been preparing since July for his Octagon debut, with Georges St. Pierre and Fabio Holanda being two of his training partners.
At 5’11" and weighing in at 205 lbs, Cote has a Mixed Martial Arts record of 5-0-0, with three wins by knockout and one by submission. He is eager to add more notches to his belt, and former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz will be his next opponent. "I train with Team Union now, and my disciplines include wrestling, BJJ and boxing. I was in the army until last year, but now I train full time. My first bout was four years ago when I started in the amateur ranks, and I turned pro maybe two years ago. Since I turned pro I’ve won all my fights. "I met Georges St. Pierre through the TKO Federation, and we’ve become friends - training together sometimes. "Most of my fights have been won by knockout with my big right hand, but I’ve also won by submission. I fought my first match in pankration, but in Canada it’s called Amateur Rank Pankration." Lion’s Den veteran Guy Mezger was scheduled to fight Tito Ortiz in the main event at UFC 50. However, due to an injury whilst training, Guy was replaced by Cote. Patrick was originally billed to be fighting Marvin Eastman for The War of ’04, but now he is half of that war. Although only receiving one week’s notice of the card change, Cote is pleased to have been upgraded for the night. "It’s good to be fighting Tito instead of Marvin because it’s like the same fighter. Both are wrestlers, but Marvin has trained a lot to develop his Muay-Thai skills. The mental preparation is the same, so my training doesn’t change, because they have similar styles."
Patrick, not only are you making your UFC debut on October 22, but you’re also fighting in the main event. :"Yeah, it’s great, eh?" So you’re happy to be fighting Tito? "Oh yeah. I’m very happy to be fighting Tito. It’s a very good opportunity for me." Tito is renowned for his high fitness levels. How is your fitness for the fight? "Oh, man, I’m in great shape, you know. My fitness is very good. I have a great cardio, and I’m ready to fight all three rounds." What are your strengths? "I’m an excellent boxer and a powerful puncher. But I’m great on the ground too. My team is a BJJ team. We train a lot in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, so I’m able to submit him too. And I work a lot on my wrestling also. So I’m ready." Will Tito try to take you down to ground’n’pound you? "I think so. But that doesn’t worry me, because if he wants to go on the ground, I have a little surprise for him." Will your fight with Tito be the upset of the night? "Oh yeah. For sure." How will you win the fight? "Ah, I don’t know. Like I said, I can knock him out, and I can submit him. I just want to take control of the fight." Patrick, is there anything you’d like to add to this article? "Just that I’m going to the UFC to shock the world. Don’t blink, ‘cause Tito is going down."
For more on Patrick Cote www.teamunion.com For more on UFC 50: The War of ’04 www.ufc.tv For the Ultimate Self-Defence Manual click here Thanks for visiting
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