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QUEBEC CITY, Que. - Georges St-Pierre may be the king of MMA in Quebec but Patrick (The Predator) Cote is also UFC royalty in La Belle Province. The 34-year-old welterweight, in his 10th year in the UFC, will walk into the cage for the 15th time Wednesday night when he takes on Australian Kyle Noke in a battle of rival coaches from "The Ultimate Fighter Nations" reality TV show. Englands Michael Bisping, ranked No. 5 among middleweight contenders, faces No. 8 Tim Kennedy in the main event at the Colisee Pepsi. Cote, wearing a Quebec Nordiques cap, received rapturous applause at a public workout Sunday at a Quebec City mall. The five-foot-11 Cote — a native of Rimouski who now lives outside of Montreal — has remade himself into a welterweight, studying nutrition himself to ease the weight cut from 205-210 pounds to 170 pounds. Clearly comfortable in his own skin these days, he credits the people around him for easing his path. He used to work with just a trainer — now he has a team that includes a sports psychiatrist and nutritionist. "I dont do anything by myself now," he said. "I have a specialist in everything. Right now its easier for me to train. I just follow what they tell me to do." Cote (20-8 including 6-8 in the UFC) showed off his flexibility at the workout, bending a leg up like a figure skater. "I feel awesome," said Cote, who spent three weeks in Thailand during his training camp. "For this fight, I feel I have no worries. I have a free mind. Im not nervous at all. Im just going there to do my thing." For Tom Wright, managing director for UFC operations in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Cote showed his leadership skills during the six-week taping of the TV show. They already knew he was popular. "Pat was chosen because we also know he has a very strong following here ... And hes been our go-to person on broadcasts." While Cote has been in and out of the UFC as a fighter, he has been ever-present as the organizations French-language commentator. He also is an MMA and boxing analyst on the TVA network. "Not only is he comfortable at it, hes very good at it," said Wright. "He knows his stuff." A trailblazer in Canadian mixed martial arts, Cote has also proved to be a survivor. The former soldier — he served in Bosnia — started his UFC career in the deep end, bumped up a weight class and moved to the UFC 50 main event from the undercard on short notice after light-heavyweight star Tito Ortizs opponent dropped out. At the time, Cotes screensaver just happened to be a shot of Ortiz. Cote lost by decision but acquitted himself well, even wobbling Ortiz at one point — a photo of which replaced the screensaver shot of Ortiz for some time after. Cote lost his next three UFC fights, winning two more outside the organization before being shunted into Season 4 of "The Ultimate Fighter," which featured fighters looking for a second chance. The Canadian made into the final, only to lose a chance at a title shot when he was beaten by Travis Lutter. Cote went on to win his next five fights, including four in the UFC, to earn a championship bout against Anderson Silva. He took the Brazilian to the third round at UFC 90 in October 2008 before losing by TKO when he had to quit due to a knee injury. Two knee surgeries followed and Cote did not fight again until May 2010. Back-to-back losses and he was dumped from the UFC again. Cote won four straight outside the UFC to earn his ticket back. He lost a decision to Cung Le but has won his last two outings, dropping down to welterweight last time out in March 2013 to beat Bobby Voelker at UFC 158. Preparation for and taping of the TUF Nations show kept both Cote and Noke on the sidelines. Cote has not fought since Voelker while Noke, who also had to overcome shoulder surgery and a hand issue, has been idle since a November 2012 win over Charlie (The Spaniard) Brenneman. The Brenneman bout was the six-foot-two Nokes first at welterweight. Cote and Noke (20-6-1 including 4-2 in the UFC) were the picture of professionalism during the taping, with no drama between the two. "We understood the superstars of the show were the fighters," said Cote. "We both went into the show with the same mentality of it was more about the fighters than us," echoed Noke, who was a cast member on Season 11 of the show. Cote saw four of his fighters advance to the two finals, meaning that the first Canadian TUF winners will be crowned Wednesday. The Aussies didnt have it easy, however. They had to compete in hostile territory in Canada and had to hit the ground running with no time afforded to recover from jet lag. Noke, 34, is still in Cotes backyard but has no complaints. "A fights a fight, doesnt matter where it is," he said philosophically. Nokes resume famously includes a stint as a security officer for the late Steve Irwin, known as the "Crocodile Hunter." "That was a great experience for me," said the native of Australias Sunshine Coast who now fights out of Albuquerque, N.M. "Something I still look back on now and cant really believe I did. Steve was a great guy, he was a great inspiration to be around "I think he really helped me as well in my fighting. The passion that he showed for everything, he just brought that out around people ... He was a great person, a great motivator for me. Theres no doubt I wouldnt be where I am today if it wasnt for Steve." Away from the cage and the studio, Cote is involved in real estate investments and Kore Fit Living, a sports equipment and nutrition company. During the summer, he likes to spend time on the golf course and on his boat. Cheap Authentic Jerseys 2020 . 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Wholesale China Jerseys Free Shipping . The triple gold medallist from the 2010 Paralympics tweeted on Tuesday: "Woke up with a virus yesterday. Timing couldnt be much worse. Not the ideal prep for the .NEW YORK -- Curtis Granderson is heading across town, where the New York Mets hope his home run swing wont suffer at Citi Field. The free-agent outfielder agreed to a $60 million, four-year contract with the Mets, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because the deal was pending a physical and no announcement had been made. Granderson, who turns 33 in March, comes over from the crosstown Yankees and gives the Mets much-needed power in their punchless outfield. He batted .229 with seven homers and 15 RBIs this year, when wrist and hand injuries limited him to 61 games. But he surpassed 40 homers in each of his previous two seasons in pinstripes. The move marks general manager Sandy Aldersons most expensive free-agent signing -- by far -- after three years of bargain shopping as the Mets rebuilt. A three-time All-Star, Granderson provides proven thump from the left side of the plate to complement right-handed hitter David Wright in a lineup that managed only 130 home runs last season -- tied for 25th among 30 major league teams. New York also signed free-agent outfielder Chris Young to a $7.25 million, one-year contract this off-season. Granderson has played centre field most of his career but spent time in both left and right last season. He figures to fill a corner spot with the Mets, who plan to use defensive whiz Juan Lagares or Young in centre. New Yorks outfield combined to hit .238 this year (29th in the majors) with 50 homers (tied for 24th) and 209 RBIs (16th), according to STATS. The group also includes speedy left fielder Eric Young Jr., the NL stolen base leader. Granderson turned down a $14.1 million qualifying offer from the Yankees to test the open market. The Mets, however, would not have to forfeit their first-round draft pick to sign him because they own the 10th overall selection.dddddddddddd The top 10 picks are protected. Granderson hit 41 home runs in 2011, when he led the American League in runs (136) and RBIs (119) and finished fourth in MVP voting. He had 43 homers and 106 RBIs in 2012, taking advantage of the short right-field porch at Yankee Stadium. The Mets hope his power will translate to spacious Citi Field, where its more difficult to clear the fences. Grandersons numbers have declined the past two years, down to a .317 on-base percentage and .407 slugging mark last season. He also is prone to strikeouts -- whiffing 364 times from 2011-2012 -- and joins a Mets lineup that fanned 1,384 times this year, tied with Atlanta for most in the NL. But his bat is a significant upgrade for the Mets, starved for offence following their fifth straight losing season since moving into Citi Field. Now, the club can focus on other areas of need -- shortstop, first base, the pitching staff -- heading into baseballs winter meetings next week. Granderson was on the disabled list twice last season after getting hit by pitches. He missed the first 38 games after breaking his right wrist when he was plunked by Toronto left-hander J.A. Happ in his first spring training plate appearance on Feb. 24. Not long after he returned, Granderson broke a knuckle on his left pinkie when he was hit at Tampa Bay on May 24. That kept him out until August, making Granderson one of several Yankees stars to be sidelined much of the season. New York was unable to overcome all the injuries, missing the playoffs for only the second time in 19 years. Grandersons agreement with the Mets was first reported by the New York Post. ' ' '