When Rich Franklin was called up to meet Wanderlei Silva in the main event at UFC 147, many people wondered who would step up and face his original opponent Cung Le at UFC 148. There weren't exactly a lot of options under contract, but never doubt Joe Silva and Co. The UFC has reportedly decided to call up a former title challenger to take on the movie star on July 7th according to a tweet from Ringside Report and TSN radio host Dave Simon:

Cote (17-7) spent the majority of his career under the UFC banner, going 4-7 in the promotion. He lost first first four bouts, but rebounded with four straight wins to earn a UFC middleweight title shot against Anderson Silva at UFC 90. He blew out his knee in the third round and lost by TKO. He then lost two more bouts and was released, but has rebounded by going 4-0 outside the promotion since then. The UFC was undoubtedly looking for a tough standup fighter to stand across from Le, and they have in in Cote.

SBN coverage of UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II