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QUEBEC CITY, Que. Quincy Promes Netherland Jersey . - Georges St-Pierre may be the king of MMA in Quebec but Patrick (The Predator) Cote is also UFC royalty in La Belle Province. The 34-year-old welterweight, in his 10th year in the UFC, will walk into the cage for the 15th time Wednesday night when he takes on Australian Kyle Noke in a battle of rival coaches from "The Ultimate Fighter Nations" reality TV show. Englands Michael Bisping, ranked No. 5 among middleweight contenders, faces No. 8 Tim Kennedy in the main event at the Colisee Pepsi. Cote, wearing a Quebec Nordiques cap, received rapturous applause at a public workout Sunday at a Quebec City mall. The five-foot-11 Cote — a native of Rimouski who now lives outside of Montreal — has remade himself into a welterweight, studying nutrition himself to ease the weight cut from 205-210 pounds to 170 pounds. Clearly comfortable in his own skin these days, he credits the people around him for easing his path. He used to work with just a trainer — now he has a team that includes a sports psychiatrist and nutritionist. "I dont do anything by myself now," he said. "I have a specialist in everything. Right now its easier for me to train. I just follow what they tell me to do." Cote (20-8 including 6-8 in the UFC) showed off his flexibility at the workout, bending a leg up like a figure skater. "I feel awesome," said Cote, who spent three weeks in Thailand during his training camp. "For this fight, I feel I have no worries. I have a free mind. Im not nervous at all. Im just going there to do my thing." For Tom Wright, managing director for UFC operations in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Cote showed his leadership skills during the six-week taping of the TV show. They already knew he was popular. "Pat was chosen because we also know he has a very strong following here ... And hes been our go-to person on broadcasts." While Cote has been in and out of the UFC as a fighter, he has been ever-present as the organizations French-language commentator. He also is an MMA and boxing analyst on the TVA network. "Not only is he comfortable at it, hes very good at it," said Wright. "He knows his stuff." A trailblazer in Canadian mixed martial arts, Cote has also proved to be a survivor. The former soldier — he served in Bosnia — started his UFC career in the deep end, bumped up a weight class and moved to the UFC 50 main event from the undercard on short notice after light-heavyweight star Tito Ortizs opponent dropped out. At the time, Cotes screensaver just happened to be a shot of Ortiz. Cote lost by decision but acquitted himself well, even wobbling Ortiz at one point — a photo of which replaced the screensaver shot of Ortiz for some time after. Cote lost his next three UFC fights, winning two more outside the organization before being shunted into Season 4 of "The Ultimate Fighter," which featured fighters looking for a second chance. The Canadian made into the final, only to lose a chance at a title shot when he was beaten by Travis Lutter. Cote went on to win his next five fights, including four in the UFC, to earn a championship bout against Anderson Silva. He took the Brazilian to the third round at UFC 90 in October 2008 before losing by TKO when he had to quit due to a knee injury. Two knee surgeries followed and Cote did not fight again until May 2010. Back-to-back losses and he was dumped from the UFC again. Cote won four straight outside the UFC to earn his ticket back. He lost a decision to Cung Le but has won his last two outings, dropping down to welterweight last time out in March 2013 to beat Bobby Voelker at UFC 158. Preparation for and taping of the TUF Nations show kept both Cote and Noke on the sidelines. Cote has not fought since Voelker while Noke, who also had to overcome shoulder surgery and a hand issue, has been idle since a November 2012 win over Charlie (The Spaniard) Brenneman. The Brenneman bout was the six-foot-two Nokes first at welterweight. Cote and Noke (20-6-1 including 4-2 in the UFC) were the picture of professionalism during the taping, with no drama between the two. "We understood the superstars of the show were the fighters," said Cote. "We both went into the show with the same mentality of it was more about the fighters than us," echoed Noke, who was a cast member on Season 11 of the show. Cote saw four of his fighters advance to the two finals, meaning that the first Canadian TUF winners will be crowned Wednesday. The Aussies didnt have it easy, however. They had to compete in hostile territory in Canada and had to hit the ground running with no time afforded to recover from jet lag. Noke, 34, is still in Cotes backyard but has no complaints. "A fights a fight, doesnt matter where it is," he said philosophically. Nokes resume famously includes a stint as a security officer for the late Steve Irwin, known as the "Crocodile Hunter." "That was a great experience for me," said the native of Australias Sunshine Coast who now fights out of Albuquerque, N.M. "Something I still look back on now and cant really believe I did. Steve was a great guy, he was a great inspiration to be around "I think he really helped me as well in my fighting. The passion that he showed for everything, he just brought that out around people ... He was a great person, a great motivator for me. Theres no doubt I wouldnt be where I am today if it wasnt for Steve." Away from the cage and the studio, Cote is involved in real estate investments and Kore Fit Living, a sports equipment and nutrition company. During the summer, he likes to spend time on the golf course and on his boat. Arjen Robben Bayern Munich Jersey . PAUL, Minn. Timothy Chandler USA Jersey . The win gives the Jets 66 points, same as Dallas and Vancouver. All three teams tied for the final playoff spot in the west. Phoenix is one point back, Nashville now four back of the Jets.TORONTO - If you had just started watching Raptors basketball two days prior you wouldnt have recognized the team that was run out of their own building Friday night. Coming off their most encouraging victory of the season in Memphis Wednesday, the Raptors were out-muscled, out-worked and ultimately out-played against a Chicago Bulls team missing their star point guard. The Bulls - as they tend to do, with or without Derrick Rose - set the tone with their defence in the opening minutes. By the time the buzzer sounded 24 minutes into the contest, the Raptors booed off the floor by their home fans, Toronto had mustered just 31 points on 26 per cent shooting. "Theres nothing redeeming about tonight," said Dwane Casey, who later relented and cited DeMar DeRozan as the lone redeeming spot on the night. "Tonight was one of those stinkers that you have. We were mentally fried, physically fried but this is the NBA [and] theres no excuses. That wasnt us. Weve had stretches like that but not an entire game, the way we were running in mud." DeRozan, just 3-of-9 at the half, caught fire late in the third quarter. He scored 28 of his career-high matching 37 points in the second half, including 19 of the Raptors 21 points during a stretch that extended into the fourth quarter. He couldnt miss, knocking down off-balance jumpers, four three-pointers and crowning Joakim Noah on a tomahawk slam. If it was conceivable for the Raptors guard to bring his team back on his own at that point he may have, he certainly tried. But it was a little too little too late. "I just wanted to win," DeRozan said solemnly after his offensive outburst was wasted in a game that was lost early in the first half. "Thats the only thing. Just looking at the score, I knew it was going to be tough. Its just my passion, just trying to win." "He was the one redeeming spot tonight," Casey eventually acknowledged. "The way he came out in the second half, but its a 48 minute game. Youve got to start the game out that way. Juan Agudelo USA Jersey. " First Half Credit the Bulls and their defence for what turned out to be a nightmare of a first half for the Raptors offence. The same team that registered 11 assists and hit 7-of-9 three-point attempts in the first half of Wednesdays game against a quality opponent had just seven dimes and missed all seven shots from long range. The Raptors were routinely pushed around under the rim, as the Bulls front line of Noah, Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng got the visitors off to a quick start on both ends of the floor. "You cant allow someone to come in your home and outwork you like that," Casey said. "Its hard to get to the basket on them," DeRozan admitted. "They all load in. Theyre a good defensive team so youve got to find counters and different ways to try and get to the basket." However, the game was lost on the other end, where the Raptors failed to match Chicagos defensive effort. With Rose on the sideline - ruled out prior to the game, nursing a sore right hamstring - the Bulls didnt miss a beat. They moved the ball with precision and shredded Toronto in the paint, outscoring them 26-18. "Mental frustration I think is more than anything else," Casey said. "We allowed them to do that. Youve got to make a team miss. We didnt play with the desperation weve played with this week." Regrouping With five of their next six games at home, the Raptors will benefit from more practice time, something they expect to take advantage of immediately as they return to the gym on Saturday to reflect on this loss. "Its a long season, its a marathon," Casey pointed out. "But its how you bounce back from these types of games that define you." "I dont want to get too overly alarmed because you have those. You have about five or six of those a year but we cant make it a habit." Toronto is back in action at the ACC Sunday afternoon when they host the Portland Trail Blazers. Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China ' ' '
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