Patrick Cote vs. Yushin Okami Expected For UFC 103 in September

by Scott Haber on Jun 4, 2009 1:27 AM EDT Comment 28 comments

Kyle Aper, formerly of MMAInsiders.com, and now writing for a site called CramThis.com, is reporting that UFC middleweights Patrick Cote and Yushin Okami have verbally agreed to a bout for UFC 103 on September 19th in Dallas, Texas:

We have recieved word from both Patrick Cote’s camp as well as Yushin Okami’s camp that this fight has been brought to their attention, and that they both have verbally agreed. While it is a little bit early to hand out any type of fight contract, expect the fight to be signed by the middle of June. The fight is being aimed for UFC 103, with the venue un announced, but it goes with a rumored bout between Frank Trigg and Josh Koscheck.

Both Cote (13-5, 4-5 UFC) and Okami (23-4, 7-1 UFC) are coming off of knee injuries; Okami tore a ligament while training for a UFC 98 fight against Dan Miller, forcing Chael Sonnen to step in successfully as a replacement, while Cote injured his knee in his anticlimactic middleweight title fight with Anderson Silva last October.

Despite his less-than-stellar UFC record and the fact that many thought he was undeserving of a title shot last fall, Patrick Cote was on a five-fight winning streak prior to his injury in the Silva fight. Now nearly back to 100%, the Canadian slugger will look to quickly regain his status on the middleweight totem pole, although with Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping, and Nate Marquardt and Demian Maia battling it out for middleweight title contendership this summer, Cote may have to just get in line even with a win over the very-talented Okami.

Yushin Okami's skills in the cage are undeniable, and despite his stellar record, he is notorious for always being just on the cusp of a middleweight title shot without ever actually being granted one due to untimely injuries and underwhelming performances in his wins. Having been quasi-promised a title shot by Dana White on numerous occasions, and with hardcore fans clamoring for "Thunder" to get a second crack at Anderson Silva after their first fight in 2006 ended in an accidental DQ loss for the Brazilian, it will be hard to deny Okami a crack at the belt yet again if he defeats Cote in impressive fashion. However, just like Cote, Okami may have to wait out the results of Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping at UFC 100 and Demian Maia vs. Nate Marquardt at UFC 102, to see where he falls in the 185-lb food chain.

UPDATE: In an interview with Ariel Helwani at Fanhouse, Patrick Cote denies that he's been offered the Okami fight and suggests that he wants to compete at UFC 104 in October instead. We'll have to wait and see what develops.

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.

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I say have two triple-threat cage matches between Henderson, Okami, and Marquardt to find out who fight the winner of the other triple-threat cage match between Bisping, Cote, and Maia. The two winners then fight for the title shot. Sounds good to me.

by FlyByKnight on Jun 4, 2009 1:50 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

This is the single greatest idea I have ever heard. I’d have a third triple threat with the two winners and Silva, so as to force action from The Spider.

by subo on Jun 4, 2009 1:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Great Idea

Currently UFC’s solution for solving the Okami problem is to feed him Anderson’s scraps and pretend he can’t rise up to the top challenger spot based on his match ups.

by bignerd on Jun 4, 2009 2:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I understand...

that Okami has deserved a shot, but he’s also been injured on 2 occasions where he was either right there, or was about to get the shot… Momentum is a lot in this sport, and between the injuries and a few boring fights, it was hard for the UFC to justify to the casual fans a shot… Atleast Cote had been seen by the fanbase in fights with tito, and leben, and he had come off Tuf4, and just got a decision over Almeida… Leites had just subbed McFedries(who doesn’t) and showed tremendous heart in continuing to fight against Marquardt while being piledriven, kneed illegally, and punched in the back of the head…

So while I also think Okami deserves some push, and a shot at Silva, I understand where the UFC is coming from, especially with Silva not being the draw they want him to become…

by Loot on Jun 4, 2009 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I see Okami winning this by decision

Cote will obviously want to strike with Okami, and Okami will most likely take Cote down and keep him there. If that is indeed the gameplan, I see Okami winning by decision. I was not impressed (using my best GSP voice) that Cote got a title shot after getting a decision win over Almeida.
I would personally like to see Okami vs Demian Maia because Okami likes to take his opponents down, and Maia’s BJJ is the best in the UFC which could/would potentially counter it.

by chrisbboy82 on Jun 4, 2009 2:26 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Except that Lister also has excellent BJJ

and Okami completely neutralized him on the ground. I don’t know Maia would fare any differently, although he is more aggressive with his sweeps than Lister.

by Scott Haber on Jun 4, 2009 9:47 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Lister is a very conservative defensive grappler when compared to Maia and his ilk, nevermind the fact that Maia himself is also fairly unconventional. I think Okami, like pretty much anybody else, would have a fair bit of trouble against Maia. That said, I think Okami could defend the takedowns better than most, so that bout could be very interesting.

"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR

by Rundownloser on Jun 4, 2009 9:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was not impressed (using my best GSP voice) that Cote got a title shot after getting a ~~controversial split~~ decision win over Almeida.

by FlyByKnight on Jun 4, 2009 2:32 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

yeah, that was a very close fight that I felt Almeida won

"My job is a decision-making job, and as a result, I make a lot of decisions." --George W. Bush, The Decider, Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007

by lovingmma25 on Jun 4, 2009 9:58 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

God,

if Okami doesn’t get a title shot (given he beats Cote, which he should) after that, I give the fuck up. You wanna talk about someone with quality wins in the UFC MW division:

Belcher
Lister
MacDonald
Swick

And a win (a controversial, and marketable DQ win) over the current champ. Honestly, i’m half glad he injured his hand, because he didn’t have to fight another B+ level fighter in Dan Miller, and instead gets to fight the previous title challenger. After which he’ll probably either get a title shot, or at the very least- a #1 contender match.

Supporting all Las Vegas MMA.

'09 is the year of the FW's.

by ElliotMatheny on Jun 4, 2009 3:25 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

ohhh come on

so he’s at least 5th in line for a shot? the number 2 guy in the world?
(and he didn’t lose the Shields fight. i just watched it)

by fuzzy wuzzy on Jun 4, 2009 3:37 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Hopefully Patrick will smash Okami into oblivion that way I won’t have to hear from the Yushin fanboys still clinging to the idea that a dq win somehow validates him for a title shot.

by Raker on Jun 4, 2009 4:15 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It’s nit the DQ, it the fact he’s won every fight in the UFC except for vs Franklin, and he probably would have won that had he woken up earlier – he nearly subbed Rich towards the end, if I remember properly.

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett

by themachiavellian on Jun 4, 2009 7:26 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I live in Dallas

and have been waiting for years for the UFC to come here and cannot wait! Me and about five of my friends are already making plans to attend our first UFC event live.

Arguing on the internet is like being in the special olympics, even when you win you are still retarded.

by dnevil001 on Jun 4, 2009 8:45 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I was just planning to visit my friends for my b-day during that week. This works out perfectly.

"My job is a decision-making job, and as a result, I make a lot of decisions." --George W. Bush, The Decider, Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007

by lovingmma25 on Jun 4, 2009 9:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Heck ya man!

I cannot wait. This is actually a pretty decent card, although I would have loved to see Randy, Machida or Silva here. But we will take what we can get here.

Arguing on the internet is like being in the special olympics, even when you win you are still retarded.

by dnevil001 on Jun 4, 2009 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Okami needs to learn from Machida

A boring fighter can break out if he starts getting finishes over tough opponents. He needs to finish Cote if he ever wants a title shot

by Flyghtt on Jun 4, 2009 9:04 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

EXACTLY!!!!!111!!!ONE!!

Everyone knows that the best thing for a fighter to do is to abandon the style they’ve been successful with, in favor of a more reckless, exciting style! Look at how well that worked for Sean Sherk! And Jorge Gurgel!

Supporting all Las Vegas MMA.

'09 is the year of the FW's.

by ElliotMatheny on Jun 4, 2009 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He doesn’t have to abandon his style completely. But he does need to realize that this isn’t a sport like one of the major four, where the system to determine who gets to the next round is set in stone. The management gets to set up title fights based on who deserves it AND who is marketable. Okami isn’t getting a title shot until he learns to not win ugly decisions via the wet blanket method.

by ricker2005 on Jun 4, 2009 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

"Okami isn’t getting a title shot until he learns to not win ugly decisions via the wet blanket method."

If i’m not mistaken, the ultimate goal of a fight is to take as little damage as possible, while maximizing the amount of damage inflicted. The most effective way for a fighter to do this is to control the action of the fight so that it takes place where the fighter is most comfortable and effective.

Okami, by trade, is a powerhouse wrestler, with soul sapping GnP, great submission defense, solid ground positioning, and good cardio. Unfortunately for him, he’s really one of those guys that doesn’t really show up until halfway through the fight, so taking the opponent down and warming up is the safest way for him to get into a groove, while not losing rounds (as a fighter like Rashad tends to do).

I guarantee you that Okami would finish guys in title fights, because it generally takes him the first 2 rounds to really get into the game; this is ideal for a 5 round fight, because that means the majority of the fight will have Yushin at his best.

He’s already been passed up once (at UFC 90) for the title shot, when really- he should’ve been the guy fighting Silva instead of Leites. In some kind of poetic justice, that fight was extremely boring (which is the opposite of what the UFC wanted, because of the Cote debacle). I understand that he won’t be at the front of the line right away, in front of guys like Maia, Marquardt, Bisping, etc. who all have exciting finishes alot of the time; however, as long as they keep lining ‘em up, he’ll probably keep knocking ’em down, and I honestly see him getting a title shot by mid 2010.

Supporting all Las Vegas MMA.

'09 is the year of the FW's.

by ElliotMatheny on Jun 4, 2009 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Scotty, there's no truth to the rumors..

Check out mma fanhouse.. Cote is targeting a return in 104.

weoweoweo .deviantart .com

by Anton Tabuena on Jun 4, 2009 1:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks...I'll post an update.

And it’s pretty cool that all the hubbub surrounding my fanpost got a response out of Cote ;)

Then again, Trigg flat-out denied that there was any truth to the Koscheck rumors last week and said it was the first he had heard of the fight..but then we learned that the bout was confirmed days later, so sometimes “straight from the fighter’s mouth” isn’t 100% reliable either ;)

by Scott Haber on Jun 4, 2009 3:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think it's only trigg who's unreliable

He tweeted about being in the 98 weighins, then tom atencio sent him a message jeering him for supporting the ufc. Trigg denied it and said that it just happened that the ufc was in his hometown and he didnt plan to attend the event nor did he have tickets for the real show..

2 days later it was announced that he’s officially signed with the ufc..

weoweoweo .deviantart .com

by Anton Tabuena on Jun 4, 2009 9:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs