UFC Releases Former Title Contender Cote

The 30-year-old Canadian on Wednesday announced he had been released by the promotion following his unanimous decision loss to Lawlor at UFC 121 “Lesnar vs. Velasquez” on Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Lawlor grounded Cote at will throughout their 15-minute encounter and racked up points with ground-and-pound.

“I had a little hope but finally got the release word from the UFC,” Cote wrote on Twitter.

Cote, a former two-division TKO champion, has also held titles inside the King of the Cage and Maximum Fighting Championship promotions. He owns notable victories against “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 winner Kendall Grove, former middleweight King of Pancrase Ricardo Almeida and current Strikeforce standout Scott Smith. He has delivered nine of his 13 career wins by knockout, technical knockout or submission.

A five-fight winning streak carried Cote into his UFC 90 title bout against Silva. A non-contact knee injury thwarted his hopes in the third round, led to two knee surgeries and put him on the sidelines for more than a year. Cote was a finalist on Season 4 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series.