Montreal — For some fighters, looking back on their younger years is a chance to reflect on what could have been: what fights they might have better prepared for, what opportunities they should have jumped on.
For former UFC star Patrick Cote, one of the greatest Canadian, and French Canadian, fighters in UFC history, his message to his younger self would be all about food. Particularly, stay away from McDonald’s.
“For me, never try McDonald’s. That’s my thing. That’s my thing, it was really hard for me to, when I was on a diet, when I dropped to 170, that was really really hard,” Cote said in response to a fan’s question at the UFC 315 Q&A at the Bell Centre in Montreal on Friday.
“That’s the thing, it’s all about food. On my side, it’s all about food. Just giving me better advice on food when I was young.”
Other fighters on stage at Friday’s Q&A besides Patrick Cote included Rory MacDonald and Valerie Letourneau, two more former title challengers in the promotion. MacDonald’s advice to his younger self was simple: “Stay the course, and filter out distractions. And that’s pretty much it.”
Letourneau, who competed for strawweight gold and took part in the first-ever UFC women’s flyweight fight, brought the topic back to health. Instead of diet, however, it was more about taking care of her body in general.
“About fighting and training, I would say take care of your body,” stated Letourneau, who last fought in 2018 in a failed bid to claim flyweight gold in Bellator. “You want it to last longer. This is something I regret very much. I was pretty tough on myself and I feel like I have to take care of myself enough, so I could have a longer career.”
