Sunday, February 4, 2007

Quebec City's Cote gets first UFC win



LAS VEGAS (CP) -- Canadian mixed martial arts fighter Patrick (The Predator) Cote scored a workmanlike win over Scott (Hands of Steel) Smith on Saturday night at UFC 67: All of Nothing.

Cote's unanimous decision was greeted by boos from the crowd, unimpressed by the fight.

The 26-year-old middleweight from Quebec City badly needed a win. He was 0-4 in the UFC coming into the Smith fight, although had put up a good showing in three of the four losses.

"My first big win in the UFC, finally," Cote said in the ring after the fight.

Cote (10-4) looked cool before the bell rang, calmly leaning against the cage as he waited for the fight to begin. Cote upgraded his kickboxing in training prior to this bout and came out kicking, using low kicks to hurt his opponent.

Cote staggered Smith (12-3) with a right in the second and third but the American survived. And Smith, who had looked sluggish beforehand, hurt Cote late in the third with a flurry.

The crowd didn't like what it saw, keeping up a steady stream of boos that were largely undeserved.

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