By Shawn Smith

It was a return to form for the former world title challenge Thiago Alves, as the Brazilian moved back up to the welterweight division and showed off his counter striking skills against Canadian veteran Patrick Cote.

After losing a unanimous decision, Cote retired in the cage.

The two met on the main card of UFC 210, which took place from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.

Cote and Alves wasted little time establishing their range, throwing heavy kicks from the opening bell. Cote found success when using his reach, but the slick counters of Alves found a home.

Alves dropped Cote about four minutes into the fight with a left hook, but the survival instincts of Cote kicked in and he was able to hold on and survive until the end of the round.

The second round saw Cote work well early before getting dropped with another hook, again finding a way to survive the round that was dominated by the Brazilian.
Cote changed strategies in the third, attempting to use his size advantage to get the fight to the ground. However, it was Alves that landed in top position. As the fight returned to the feet, a bloodied Cote did his best to engage Alves into a scrap in the final minutes, but Alves stayed composed and relaxed en route to the victory.

The fight marked a return to the welterweight division for Alves, who recently spent time in the lightweight division before moving back up to the more natural welterweight division. Alves was coming off two straight losses to Carlos Condit and Jim Miller.

While the UFC’s welterweight rankings are stacked with newcomers, the veteran Alves will be looking to reestablish himself as a fighter to watch in the coming months.