Cote threw a lowkick to start and Cung caught it and landed a trip. The first round had the two playing shot for shot. Le would throw a kick and Cote would respond. The round ended with both men showing respect for each other.
Le landed a nice spinning back kick early in the second, but Cote followed up with a nice combo. Midway through the round Le looked tired, however he kept at Cote. At the end of round 2 both men were bleeding.
The final stanza began with the crowd going crazy. Both men high five and began throwing. Le got two takedowns in the third round and sat in Cote’s guard for the remainder of the fight.
Cung Le def. Patrick Cote by unanimous decision (30-27,30-27,30-27)
Cung Le:
“This is one the biggest accomplishments in my career. To get my first UFC victory, I’m so happy.
“He came in, he was very tough. I hit him real hard with him some kicks and one time he ducked and I clipped the top of his head. I could have swore I broke my foot but I said I’m going to gut it out and fight to the end because I don’t have any give up in me. I wanted to win.”
Patrick Cote:
“I thought it was tricky. I was about to push the pace but he had a lot better footwork than I was expecting.”
