A new Montreal-based mixed martial arts promotion debuts Friday and it will feature some familiar faces. And not just in the cage.
Longtime TKO Championship Fighting president Stephane Patry takes on his latest project as he presents Instinct MMA 1: Alexander vs. Bosse, which will take place at the Centre d’Excellence Sports Rousseau in Boisbriand, Que., outside Montreal.
In the main event, fans will be treated with a clash of super strikers as hockey enforcer Steve (The Boss) Bosse of Quebec faces UFC veteran Houston (The Assassin) Alexander.
Bosse (8-1-0) is well known to Quebec sports fans for dropping the gloves on the ice. But he began his MMA career with TKO in 2007 and has six knockouts to his credit. Meanwhile Alexander (13-6-0) burst onto the scene in the UFC after knocking out Keith Jardine in 48 seconds. He followed that up with another win, before three straight losses sent him out of the UFC.
Another well-known fighter to UFC fans will appear in the co-main event. Rimouski’s Patrick (The Predator) Cote (15-7-0) takes on against Muay Thai specialist and former UFC fighter Crafton Wallace (18-5-1) in a middleweight clash. Cote is a former top contender to Anderson Silva’s UFC 185-pound title, but a three-fight losing streak led to his release. He has since won two straight fighting for Ringside MMA, another organization in Montreal, over Kalib Starnes and Todd Brown, both by unanimous decision.
Cote told sportsnet.ca he had a few offers after his contract with Ringside ended and the organization chose not to renegotiate with him. Included among those options were fighting in Brazil and in the U.K. with BAMMA. But he said he just didn’t have the time to fight anywhere outside Montreal, where he lives and trains, because of some of the projects he has on the go — including his recent job as an MMA commentator for TVA Sports.
So the opportunity to fight for Patry — his former manager — came at a great time. And he hopes with another good win he can find his way back to the UFC.
“The only power I have in my hands is to fight hard Friday night and have another win put pressure on the UFC (to sign me),” said Cote, who added he will be aggressive but smart against Wallace. “I want to finish the fight before the judges decision.”
Wallace, who is on a two-fight losing streak, hasn’t fought in MMA in more than a year, but has been keeping busy competing Muay Thai competitions.
Also in action will be the legendary Eric (Butterbean) Esch in a heavyweight bout against undefeated pro boxer Eric Barrak.
