Lots of things have changed about UFC 210's Patrick Cote – but not his fighting style

Fight in the UFC for 13 years, and you learn a few things about how to pace yourself.

A few days away from his 20th octagon appearance, which comes at UFC 210, welterweight Patrick Cote doesn’t train the way he used to. He knows how to protect his asset.

“You have a lot more knowledge about taking care of yourself and the risks of the sport,” Cote (23-10 MMA, 10-10 UFC) told MMAjunkie Radio prior to his fight with Thiago Alves (21-11 MMA, 13-8 UFC) on the event’s pay-per-view main card at KeyBank Center in Albany, N.Y. “A lot of things change during all those fast years, not just because you’re a veteran, but because of your knowledge of the sport. It’s not a new sport anymore.”

When Cote made his debut, he was a tough kid from Canada with an impossible task. A short-notice title shot against light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz saved UFC 50 and put him on the map, but it also kicked off an octagon losing streak he wouldn’t break until his fifth UFC appearance.

Thirteen years after that debut, Cote is one of the more experienced competitors in the UFC, a onetime middleweight title challenger, a French-language UFC commentator, and a competitor in the welterweight division.

Cote is a lot more well-rounded fighter than during his early career, but he still relies on the heavy hands and solid chin that made him an early standout in the promotion. That won’t change against Alves.

“I’m 37 years old, and I’ve been fighting since I was 21,” he said. “I don’t see myself myself changing my style at this point. I’m going to push forward. I know I have better boxing than him, and I have better power than him, and I’m going to be a bigger guy. I’m going to bully him.

“His last fight, he got bullied by the 155 (pound) guy, so when he’s in front of me, and I’m a big 170, it’s going to be a different story.”

Cote himself is looking for a little redemption after getting crumbled by Donald Cerrone in a previous outing. He wants the big fights that will give him one last shot at a UFC title. Against Alves, a onetime welterweight title challenger known for his bruising muay Thai skills, he’s going to need to marshal his energy.

“I’ll finish him in the second,” Cote said. “As soon as he feels the power, he’s going to crumble.”

For more on UFC 210, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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