Middleweights
Cung Le (7-2, 0-1 UFC) vs. Patrick Cote (17-7, 4-7 UFC)
The same conditioning issues that have haunted Le in the past resurfaced in his second-round technical knockout loss to Wanderlei Silva at UFC 139, as the San Shou specialist went back-and-forth with “The Axe Murderer” in the early going before he began to tire late in the opening frame. Silva took advantage and overwhelmed the fading Le in round two.
When he is on, Le has an entertaining style that relies on fighting at distance and landing a wide variety of kicks with volume and accuracy. The former Strikeforce champion often changes levels with his strikes and is capable of altering the tone of a fight by connecting with exotic spinning kicks. Le’s hands are not on the same level, although he did stun Silva with a nice spinning back fist in their November encounter. Much of Le’s success is predicated upon his ability to control range and keep Cote on the outside.
That could be a difficult task considering that “The Predator” has a five-inch reach advantage and has proven himself to be comfortable fighting conservatively on the outside. Cote will wait patiently for an opening before he moves in and fires off combinations at close range. He will then clinch to prevent a return attack from his opponent. Cote has knockout power in his overhand right, and Le must be wary of being countered when throwing some of his more creative offerings.
Both men favor a standup-based attack, but if Cote finds himself being outclassed on the feet, he might look to time Le’s kicks and dump the 40-year-old to the mat.
The Pick: It is generally been all or nothing for Le to this point in his career, but Cote’s sometimes-conservative style could allow him to be effective later into the fight. Unfortunately, the Canadian is not going to be willing to engage in the type of battle that will make Le look good. Expect Cote to throw combos on the outside before forcing clinches, from which he can land short strikes and negate his opponent’s high-octane offense. Cote wins by decision.
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