Cung Le vs. Patrick Cote targeted for UFC 148

[No More Sorrow]

With Rich Franklin (28-6 MMA, 13-5 UFC) now headed to UFC 147 for a rematch with Wanderlei Silva (34-11-1 MMA, 4-6 UFC), onetime middleweight title challenger Patrick Cote (17-7 MMA, 4-7 UFC) has been tapped to fight Cung Le (7-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at UFC 148.

Multiple sources close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) that verbal agreements have been reached for the matchup.


UFC 148 takes place July 7 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Main-card fights air live on pay-per-view while preliminary-card fights air on FX.


Cote returns to the octagon on the strength of a four-fight win streak which includes victories over three UFC vets (Kalib Starnes, Todd Brown and Crafton Wallace) and, most recently, veteran Gustavo Machado. His past two outings have ended in the first round.


A five-fight win streak preceded Cote's title shot against reigning champ Anderson Silva at UFC 90, which ended when he blew his knee out in the third round. Back-to-back losses against Alan Belcher and Tom Lawlor, respectively, prompted his release from the promotion.


Le, a former Strikeforce middleweight champ, seeks his first octagon win. The 39-year-old debuted for the UFC in November and looked comfortable early against Silva before eventually falling victim to a second-round barrage of punches and knees. Le has fought just once in each of the past four calendar years.

I like this fight. He's not as big a name as Rich Franklin but it's nice replacement. And it's also good to see Cote getting another shot in the UFC. 4-0 since leaving the UFC fighting for various promotions.