Hunting the title

Mixed martial artist Patrick “the Predator” Côté
has his sights trained on next month’s UFC middleweight championship bout

by CHRIS BARRY

Next month, on Saturday, Oct. 25, local boy Patrick “the Predator” Côté will be going up against the rarely disputed top Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter in the world, Brazilian brute Anderson Silva, in a title fight at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 90 event in Chicago, Illinois.

And while Côté (13–4) sure as hell isn’t somebody you’d want to pick a fight with after a night of drunken revelry on the Main, Silva (22–4) is nobody’s slouch either, having won each of his last eight bouts in less than two rounds. There’s a reason why he’s ranked Number One, after all.

So in spite of Côté’s obvious talent and potential, few MMA fans are expecting our boy to walk away with the title next month. Nevertheless, Côté remains undeterred, currently training like a fiend in a determined effort to register an upset and show the world just how tough we grow ’em up here in la belle province. The Mirror cornered the 28-year-old former Canadian Armed Forces infantryman the other day to try to see where his head was at in light of this most important of fights. This is what he told us.

Mirror: How many hours a week on average do you figure you train?

Patrick Côté: It’s always a full time job, you know. I train about 45 hours a week—mostly at Gamma [gym]. But I guess I train a little harder when I’ve got a big fight coming up.

M: So Anderson Silva, like, he’s considered to be the best MMA fighter in the world, right?

PC: Yeah.

M: So if you beat him, I guess that’ll make you the best fighter in the world, right?

PC: No, it’s not like that. If I win the fight, it’ll just mean I did everything right in my training so I could beat a guy of his calibre. For sure, I’ll move up in the overall rankings, but there’s always another fight, there’s always a new opponent, and, you know, at this level, everybody is good. It’s always hard to say who’s the best at any given moment. For sure, pound for pound, Anderson Silva is the best right now, he’s proved that, but in another little while, it could be anyone else.

NOTHING TO LOSE, BELT TO GAIN: Côté

Fighting the odds

M: Getting a chance to fight the champion like this must be a huge opportunity for you.

PC: Oh, for sure it is. But, you know, I just won my last five fights—and three of those fights I won by knocking out my opponent in the first round, so, you know, I deserve a big fight. Still, I had no idea they were planning to give me a title shot. Of course I’m really happy about it.

M: Is there anything extraordinary or different that you’re doing to prepare for this particular fight?

PC: Well, you always adjust your training depending upon your opponent. There’s always a new strategy, new skills you need to employ. It’s always a new game plan for a new opponent. I’m always adjusting myself.

M: Not to be a bummer or anything, but given the odds against you winning, how are you feeling going into this big fight?

PC: I feel great. I’m the underdog, I’ve got nothing to lose, so, you know, I’m going to go there and show the world. I know everybody thinks Silva will crush me in the first round, but we’ll see. The thing is, you can be the underdog by a million to one on paper, but when the bell rings, it’s 50–50 again. All I need is one good punch to take him out.

M: Do you know what the official odds are for this fight?

PC: No, I don’t pay attention to that and I don’t care. I just know I’m the underdog by far. You’ve got to go into a fight believing you’re going to win it. I mean, if you don’t feel that way, then it’s time to change your sport. Look, I’m training hard to be the champion, and let me tell you, I feel really good about my chances of winning.

Train hard, play safe

M: Do you ever worry you might get seriously hurt in this sport, like, you know, maimed or killed?

PC: Killed?! No, I mean, if you’re having trouble on your feet, you can always hit the ground in submission. I tend to hurt myself more in training than in the actual fights. It’s because I always want to train hard, often harder than the fight merits. It’s very rare for guys to get hurt during an actual fight. In the entire history of MMA, nobody has ever died in the ring. Compare that to boxing. The rules are very good so far as protecting fighters is concerned.

M: I suspect you must be something of a local hero to Quebec MMA fans.

PC: Well, I don’t know. I’m a pretty down to earth guy, I don’t do this to be famous. I’m not chasing that.

M: How are you doing so far as corporate sponsors are concerned? In other words, can you make much money in this business as a fighter?

PC: I have a lot of sponsors, and yeah, the money is good. I’m fighting in the best organization in the world, after all. If you can win in this sport, then yeah, it’s going to pay you well.

M: And I guess if you beat Silva next month, you’ll be getting paid even better.

PC: For sure—I’ll be world champion then. I’ll deserve a lot of money.