Patrick Cote Q&A: Career Defining Fights, Serving in Bosnia and Hotel Room Shenanigans

Retired mixed martial artist and former UFC title contender Patrick Cote speaks with Tony Reid of MyMMANews.com. Cote made his UFC debut at UFC 50 against Tito Ortiz in 2004.

Tony Reid – You have been in a number of big fights over the course of your career. What fight are you most proud of?

Patrick Cote – “I have a lot of fights that I am really proud of. I have been in a title fight against Anderson Silva. I had some bad luck in that fight but that is still the main goal, to get a title shot. I had one. I blew out my knee that night but I still got that shot. There are a couple of other fights that I am proud that I won, especially against Ricardo Almeida. Almeida was one of the biggest fights of my career. The fight right before that one I fought a similar guy, a good Jiu Jitsu guy. Against Almeida I was able to show that I was upgrading my Jiu Jitsu game, actually upgrading my entire game. The Kendall Grove fight was great, too. That was a big first round knockout. At the time, he was supposed to be the next big superstar. I broke the hype around him. There are a lot of great moments in my career.”

TR – What is the best gym story you can share from your time in the gym over the years?

PC – “Nothing too crazy happens in the gym. We are there to train and to help each other and to sweat. A lot of things happen when you travel for fights. A lot of things happen with the fans and some groupies. In the gym, we have been training for years. They are like my family.”

TR – Ok, what is the best travel story you can share with me?

PC – “When I fought Anderson Silva in Chicago the brother of Sean Sherk came into our room. He was a little drunk and he wanted to go with one of my friends who is six foot four and nearly three hundred pounds. He just threw him away with one hand. He almost broke his head on the desk in the room. It was a bloody mess in the room. We didn’t know it was Sherk’s brother at the time but we found out afterward. That was kind of crazy because he doesn’t look like Sean Sherk at all, like, at all.”

TR – You spent nearly five years in the Canadian Army and served in Bosnia. What was that time in your life like?

PC – “That is something I am proud of. I went in the army because I didn’t like school. I was good at it but I didn’t like it. I wanted to find something where I could use my body and I was looking for action. I joined the army infantry and for almost seven years I served there. I served in Bosnia in 2002 and that was a great life experience. It was amazing. Today I can use all of that strength in my life right now. It gave me more responsibility and made me more disciplined in my life, especially about diet and training! It is what it is.”

TR – I read that you are a big Muhammad Ali fan. What has his inspiration meant to you over the years?

PC – “He was one of the most inspirational figures for a lot of people, not just people in the martial arts and boxing but for everybody. He changed the way we see things. He changed the sport of boxing just because of his actions and because he did so many things that he believed in. His body started to fail him at the end but his legacy and his name will live forever for sure.”

Tony Reid

In July of 2008 Tony Reid launched an MMA inspired clothing line that he named Reid Fight Wear. He saw a need in the MMA clothing market for a more classic, clean and timeless design and less of the dated styles seen then. In the process of major life changes, Tony cashed out his 401(k), emptied his bank account and put his heart and soul into building the brand. In August 2009 Tony began writing for TapouT and MMA Worldwide Magazines. There he created Rattling the Cage, an MMA specific news site and home for all of his work. In May of 2012 Reid began writing for Ultimate MMA Magazine, launching an MMA Legends and MMA Officials Series. Also in May of the same year he started appearing regularly on ESPN 92.3 WVSL as the MMA Insider. In early August of 2012 Reid was named General Manager of UFC Fighter Tim Boetsch’s Barbarian Combat Sports in Sunbury, PA. By December 2012 Reid started contributing to Fighters Only Magazine. "The World's Leading MMA and Lifestyle Magazine" is sold in over 30 countries around the world and has the largest reach of any international magazine of its type. In May of 2013 Reid became a monthly segment host on Sirius XM Radio. Appearing the first Thursday of every month on TapouT Radio on SiriusXM (Sirius 92 XM 208) in a segment he created called "On Blast!" where he puts people in the MMA world on notice. In June of 2013 Reid began writing for the UK based MMA Uncaged Magazine. In August of 2013, Reid launched "Rattling the Cage with Tony Reid" a talk radio show he hosted on ESPN 92.3 WVSL "The Valley's Sports Leader". The show aired over 100 episodes and featured some of the biggest and brightest stars in the world of combat sports. It was one of the most successful shows in the station's history. In May of 2016 Reid became a feature writer for FloCombat. In September of the same year Reid began writing for ONE Championship, Asia’s largest global sports media property in history. Reid is happy to now join the team at MyMMANews as a contributor.

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