In UFC-90, Patrick Cote apparently entered the ‘biggest fight of his life’ nursing an injured knee.  I don’t know if Anderson Silva is clairvoyant or just lucky but he certainly chose the correct knee to attack with a steady barrage of vicious leg kicks.

Mr. Cote will now undergo an arthroscopic procedure on a reported meniscal tear of his knee.  Multiple accounts suggest that he will require 6-8 months to adequately heal and rehab.  If this time frame is correct, it implies that he will need more than just the simple trimming (debridement) of an uncomplicated meniscal (cartilage) tear.

The usual duration of rehab for an uncomplicated tear and arthroscopic trimming is 4-6 weeks (give or take 2 weeks) certainly not 6-8 months.  Possibly much more is wrong with Patrick Cote’s knee than has been revealed by his camp.

Cartilage injury with damage to the underlying bone or a meniscal detachment with an attempted repair (versus a simple trimming) are the most likely injuries that fit the 6-8 month window.  Rehab after an ACL reconstruction would take longer than 6-8 months for a combat athlete and therefore seems to be a less likely explanation.

Patrick Cote’s MMA future will be determined by the extent of his injury and the complexity of the repair and certainly not the size of his heart.  Fortunately (from a medical standpoint), his credibility and warrior spirit remain intact.