Patrick Cote probably knows his entire medical team like they are members of his own family.
The 34-year-old welterweight told MMAJunkie radio that he has gone under the knife 11 times to fix his knees in his 12-year career as a pro MMA fighter.
“I have a 70-year-old’s knees right now,” said Cote (7-8 UFC), who faces Stephen Thompson (9-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) at UFC 178 on Sept. 27 in Las Vegas.
Cote talked about how doctors have operated on his ACL, his MCL, his meniscus and pretty much everything else to do with his knee.
“It’s a tough sport, man.”
The injuries were exacerbated after the biggest fight of Cote’s career against Anderson Silva in 2008. The match was for the title and Cote blew out his ACL shortly after the start of the third round.
Cote attributed the injury to “bad luck.” He was shelved for nearly two years because of the issue.
“I would have preferred he knock me out cold rather than losing like that,” Cote said. “I was giving him a fight. I’m not saying that I was winning, but I was still there, and I’m a puncher. I have a chance in every round to win the fight if I connect in the right spot.”
