Patrick Cote ready to drop to Welterweight

The last time we saw Patrick Cote (18-8) he was on the FX prelims of UFC 154 getting punched in the back of the head by Alessio Sakara. Without a warning to the Italian, referee Dan Miragliotta disqualified Sakara and granted the victory to Cote. This past weekend at the TUF 16 Finale, the UFC announced a rematch between the two Middleweights. But, Sakara was forced to pull out because of medical issues.

Now, It looks like the rematch will never happen. Cote announced Tuesday on his Twitter account that he's ready to change divisions:

After a year of thinking and good talk with my coaches and nutritionnist,its time, my next fight will be at 170 Thanks for the support #UFC

— patrick cote (@patrick_cote) December 19, 2012

Cote is currently sitting on a 5-8 record as a UFC fighter. As a veteran of the sport and a former 185 lb. contender, he won't be granted an easy introduction to the Welterweight division.

Looking at the top 15-25 170 lb-ers, there's only a few who'd make sense for Cote. John Hathway is currently on a 3-fight win streak over lackluster competition. If the UFC want to push him, a name like Cote would be a nice feather in his cap. James head is coming off a KO loss to Mike Pyle at the TUF 16 Finale. This would essentially be a "loser leaves town" match for both fighters. Tyrone Woodley is another option. He's suffered one defeat in his careeer to the talented Nate Marquardt. This would be a significant test for Cote entering a wrestler heavy division.