Patrick Cote won the battle of the TUF Nations coaches tonight at the Finale in Canada, getting the better of Kyle Noke on the mat to earn a decision victory.
Round One:
Kyle Noke with a kick to start and it’s strays to the groin and forces a very brief stoppage. Noke with a front kick to the face on the restart that’s just blocked.
Front kick to the body from Noke now. Leg kicks now from him. Patrick Cote lands a clubbing strike over the top in response.
Cote tries a kick, but Noke partially catches it and then presses him up against the cage. They break apart soon after and Noke is back to his kicking game, going to the body this time.
He tries to leap in with a knee and Cote fires off punches.
Cote looks for a takedown and gets it as Noke thinks about a guillotine. Cote working in his opponents guard now and landing some big ground and pound.
Noke with a few elbow strikes to the head from his back. No thoughts of a guard pass from Cote here as he continues to try to land hard shots.
Cote keeping up a good work rate here in the final minute of the round. Noke throws his legs up for a triangle attempt, but Cote is out of it almost immediately and goes back to landing punches and elbows.
A few very hard elbows land and Noke boxes his ears a few times before the round ends.
Round Two:
Cote starting to stalk Noke early in the second. Noke thinks about a knee, but slips.
Cote barrels forward with punches and then ducks for a takedown, but he gets caught with a knee from Noke that rocks him. Cote is briefly down, but gets back up under fire and Noke tries to pressure him further with more punches. For a moment Cote seems frozen in place as blows rain in, but then he gets on his bike and out of danger for now.
Cote back to pushing forward now and works for a takedown, and eventually manages to land it. He’s now back in Noke’s full guard working that same busy ground and pound approach he utilized in the opening round.
Nasty elbows from Cote and Noke tries to throw his legs up for a submission. Nothing doing though and he gets his back to the cage and attempts to stand back up.
Cote trying to remain attached to him and lands a big knee to the chest of Noke as he tries to get up.
Noke does manage to get up though and lands a chopping kick to the knee of his opponent. He’s back to unleashing a variety of kicks in the final seconds of the round.
Round Three:
Noke putting his knee up a few times as Cote comes in, eager to land that again if Cote ducks in for a takedown.
Noke keeping his range and working more kicks without connecting with anything too meaningful. Cote rushes forward and lands with a right.
Cote pressuring again and Noke backs up against the cage. That gives Cote the chance to clinch up, perhaps hoping for another takedown, but Noke manages to get away.
Hard leg kick from Noke. He then presses in with a solid left hand. That stamping kick to the knee is used again too.
He tries another leg kick and Cote catches it, using it to run the pipe and get him down. Cote eager to pass guard this time and briefly gets to half guard, but then has to settle for being back in the full guard where he was relatively effective earlier in the fight.
Cote trying to get ground and pound going and some elbows get through. Noke works his way backwards to the cage and attempts to stand. Cote tries to shift to his back as he gets up, but then stays on his front and remains clinched as the fight ends.
Decision:
Good fight, but Cote’s ground work was the big difference between the two and he claims a unanimous decision victory (29-28 x2, 30-27).
