Eighteen months ago, Patrick Cote fought for the UFC middleweight title. It was September 2008, and he stepped inside the Octagon to face the champion Anderson Silva. For two rounds, the fight was going well. The fans cheered and shouted; UFC 90 was pumped. But at the beginning of the third round, Cote blew his knee out and was forced to bow out of the fight - much to his dismay, without the championship belt around his waist.

But now, a year and a half later, "The Predator" is preparing for a comeback. On May 8, he'll face Alan Belcher at UFC 113 in Quebec, Canada. Fight by fight, the Canadian fan favorite is looking to move closer to another title shot. He wants that belt. And if history repeats itself, he'll get back to the top soon enough and, once again, enter the Octagon as the number one middleweight title contender.

He may be known for his striking, but he's not bad on the ground either. Inside the Octagon, Cote holds wins over Ricardo Almeida, Drew McFedries, Kendall Grove (which won him Knock Out of the Night honors) and Scott Smith.

Recently, Cote (13-5) took some time out from training to talk to FiveKnuckles.com about past fights (Chris Leben), future fights (Wanderlei Silva), and where he fits in to the 185-lbs. division.

Oh, and don't forget to watch out for those Hulk gloves - they're making their comeback, too.

FiveKnuckles.com: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us, I know your busy training for UFC 113.

Patrick Cote: Oh, no problem.

FiveKnuckles.com: It was great to hear that you were back in training and your knees were feeling good. How hard was it to come back from that injury? Can you talk a bit about it?

Patrick Cote: It wasn't that hard. There was timing at the beginning that was a little bit rough. It took me two weeks and I was right on after that. Right now, I'm a better fighter than I was before. And I feel really good now.

FiveKnuckles.com: You haven't fought since October 2008, do you think ring rust will be a problem?

Patrick Cote: No, I don't think so. I feel very, very good right now. I have a really good training partner. And I train with better fighters than Belcher is. I'm so ready. I'm so pumped. I don't feel any rust at all.

FiveKnuckles.com: Last time you fought, it was for the title. A year and a half later, where do you see yourself in the middleweight division?

Patrick Cote: I think I'm still one of the best middleweights in the world. I'm very good on my feet at 185 pounds. I can fight against everybody and I can't win against everybody. Right now, I have to still wait for the title fight and the battle starts again. This is my goal - to be champion. And I been there once and I think, truly, that I can go there again another time.

FiveKnuckles.com: Did you watch Anderson Silva's latest title fight against Demian Maia? Any thoughts on that?

Patrick Cote: Yes. Anderson Silva is the best fighter in the world. He thinks he can do whatever...