Patrick Cote taking 'one fight at a time' in regards to his future in the UFC

Over the past 15 years, Patrick Cote has consistently been one of the most exciting fighters to compete in the UFC while climbing the ranks at both middleweight and welterweight during his career.

Most recently, Cote has started to plan for life after fighting is finished by starting his own real estate company as well as working extensively on television and radio in his native Montreal.

With the recent birth of his daughter, Cote really started to examine his long-term goals, most notably providing for his family whether he was stepping into the Octagon to do battle with an opponent or completely finished with professional mixed martial arts all together.

As Cote approaches his matchup at UFC 210 against Thiago Alves, he's definitely not thinking about this as his last bout but he also can't say for certain how much time left he has in the sport before he decides to walk away for good.

"I'm taking one fight at a time," Cote told FOX Sports. "I'm not thinking about what's going to happen next week or the next fight or what's going to happen next year. One fight at a time.

"I'm 37-years old and I know I've not much left in the fighting business and that's OK."

When looking at his career, Cote is satisfied by what he accomplished after first debuting in the UFC back in 2004 in only his sixth professional fight when he stepped up on short notice to face Tito Ortiz in a main event.

Since that time, Cote has competed for a UFC championship, won numerous post-fight bonuses and consistently put together a resume that any competitor would be proud to boast about when a career is over.

"I did almost everything in that sport. I fought for the title. I was on [The Ultimate Fighter]. I coached [The Ultimate Fighter]. I fought my first fight in the main event at UFC 50 against one of my idols at that time [Tito Ortiz]. I did pretty much what I wanted to do in that sport except be world champion, but I had my chance," Cote said. "There's not a lot of people who can say they fought for the world title in the UFC, but I did it.

"One fight at a time, we'll see, and you never know what's going to happen after the fight against [Thiago] Alves. I'm not thinking too far [ahead]."

 

Cote refuses to put a timeline on how much more he's got left in the tank because right now he's still having fun in training and preparation for his fights and that's really the key to anybody's longevity in the sport.

That could mean Cote goes on fighting for another few years or perhaps he wraps it up after only a couple more bouts. The key for Cote is making that decision on his own rather than being forced out of the sport because he's got nothing left to give.

"I still have fun to do that. I still have fun going to the gym to train hard. I'm a little bit tired of the diet but that's a sacrifice you have to make," Cote said. "I'm still enjoying being a professional athlete, but sometimes my body gets hurt. I've had 11 surgeries in my career.

"You have to be smarter than the game so we'll see what's going to happen after this fight. Like I said, one fight at a time and I'm going to be well prepared for my next fight."

Part of the fun for Cote is getting the opportunity to compete against athletes like Alves, who he respects tremendously while also knowing that this will be a fan friendly affair. Nothing pleases Cote more than putting on a show that gets the crowd on its feet and he believes Alves will provide him with the perfect chance to shine once again on Saturday night.

"Thiago and I we've known each other since a long time, we're both veterans and the funny thing, I did [look at] the poster for UFC 90 when I fought Anderson Silva and he's right under me on the poster. That was maybe destiny that one day we will fight. I know he's going to bring it," Cote said. "I know his back's against the wall because he has two losses in a row but you have to check who he lost to in his career. It's all top 15 guys. He's an amazing striker.

"He's always pushing the pace, always going forward and that's why it's going to be an amazing fight."