Cote out until 2010 for surgery

It is quickly approaching a year since Patrick Cote injured his knee in a failed attempt to capture the UFC middleweight belt from current champion Anderson Silva. And it is starting to look like it may approach a year-and-a-half before the Canadian is able to fight again.

Cote on Monday informed MMAWeekly.com that, despite his best efforts, his "MCL is busted." He will remain out of commission until next year.

"My ACL is good, but my MCL is busted," he stated. "So I have to go under surgery again."

Cote said that he will go in for surgery on Wednesday, and that a likely return to the Octagon is a long ways off.

"Not before February or March, for sure."

Cote signed a new four-fight contract with the UFC this summer. He recently went in to the doctor to have his knee checked, anticipating an approval to return to training for a hopeful return this fall. Instead, he received a metaphorical kick in the head instead of being able to start actually delivering them again for real.

"It's like the bad luck is still against me, but what can I do?" he told MMAWeekly, still in good spirits. "I'll be back. I'm going to heal very, very well and after that my knee will be 100-percent. It sucks, but hey."

If the surgery goes well and his rehab schedule stays on track, Cote will be able to start a conditioning program within a couple of weeks, and then return to fight training sometime around October.

"I can't wait to be back," he said, the yearning evident in his voice.