Kyle Noke (born 18 March 1980) is an Australian retired

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who competed as a

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

. A professional competitor since 2002, Noke has also fought for

EliteXC Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a United States–based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on Decem ...

Background

Noke, originally from

Dubbo Dubbo (; ) is a city in the Orana (New South Wales), Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the ...

, in New South Wales, competed in various sports growing up including rugby, and began training in

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

in 2002. Noke also worked in security; guarding "Crocodile Hunter"

Steve Irwin Stephen Robert Irwin (22 February 19624 September 2006), known as "the Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian zookeeper, Conservation movement, conservationist, television personality, wildlife educator, and environmentalist. Irwin grew up ar ...

, Noke serving as Irwin's bodyguard for three years during Irwin's heyday as host of the Australian-based nature show. Noke's job was eventually changed to train "The Crocodile Hunter" between filming sessions. Noke and another bodyguard worked with Irwin on

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

. During his time with Irwin, Noke bounced between the U.S. and Australia as he continued to rack up professional victories; he found the tutelage of renowned trainer Greg Jackson. In September 2006 Noke got word that Irwin had died. He went back to security at the zoo where Irwin worked but soon afterward decided that he needed to go after his dream of being a mixed martial artist.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Noke made his professional MMA debut in November 2002. Over the next five years, Noke fought in his native Australia and amassed a record of 13–3–1. During this time, he split a pair of matches with fellow future UFC fighter George Sotiropoulos.

EliteXC

Noke made his United States MMA debut in November 2007 as he defeated Seth Kleinbeck via TKO due to cuts at EliteXC: Renegade. Noke returned to the promotion in February 2008, losing via KO to Scott Smith at EliteXC: Street Certified.

The Ultimate Fighter

Noke was a participant on the UFC reality show '' The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz'' in 2010. After winning his preliminary fight to enter the house, Kyle was chosen for the first fight against Team Ortiz member Clayton McKinney and won via

triangle choke A triangle choke, or sankaku-jime (三角絞) in judo, is a type of figure-four chokehold that encircles the opponent's neck and one arm with the legs in a configuration similar to the shape of a triangle. Applying pressure using both legs and ...

in the first round. In the quarter-finals, Noke was selected to face rival team member and good friend Kris McCray. Although Noke was highly touted and favored to win, he eventually began to succumb to the multiple takedowns by McCray, which Noke had little answer to gaining position or escaping and lost the fight via unanimous decision after three rounds.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Noke made his UFC debut against TUF teammate Josh Bryant at The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale. After putting in a dominant first round, Noke won via second-round TKO. Noke defeated Rob Kimmons on 13 November 2010 at

UFC 122 ''UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 13, 2010 at König Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany. This event aired on the same day, via tape delay, on Spike TV in ...

at 1:33 in the second round via rear naked choke. Noke faced Chris Camozzi on 27 February 2011 at UFC 127. Noke defeated Camozzi in the first round with a rear-naked choke. Noke was also awarded ''Submission of the Night'' bonus. Noke was expected to face Tom Lawlor on 14 August 2011 at UFC on Versus 5. Lawlor, however, pulled out of the bout due to an injury in early July 2011. Ed Herman replaced Lawlor on the card. After defending multiple submission attempts from Herman, Noke finally tapped to an inverted heelhook 4:15 in the first round. Noke was clearly in pain from the submission, and he needed help to walk out of the octagon. Noke was expected to face Jared Hamman on 3 March 2012 at UFC on FX 2, but Hamman was forced to withdraw with an injury and replaced by Andrew Craig. After a dominant first round by Noke, Craig took control in the next two rounds and Noke lost the fight via unanimous decision. Noke made his welterweight debut against Charlie Brenneman on 22 September at UFC 152. Noke defeated Brenneman via TKO only 45 seconds into the first round. Noke was expected to face Seth Baczynski on 15 December 2012 at UFC on FX 6. However, Noke pulled out of the bout citing a shoulder injury and was replaced by Mike Pierce. In June 2013, it was announced that Noke would be coaching The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia, opposite Patrick Côté. The reality show features welterweights and Middleweights. The coaches faced each other on 16 April 2014 at The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale. Noke lost the fight via unanimous decision. Noke was expected to face Yoshihiro Akiyama on 20 September 2014 at UFC Fight Night 52. However, Noke was forced out of the bout with a knee injury. Noke was expected to face Andreas Ståhl on 10 May 2015 at UFC Fight Night 65. However, on 2 April, it was announced that Ståhl pulled out of the fight due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by promotional newcomer Jonavin Webb. Noke won the fight via split decision. Noke faced Peter Sobotta on 15 November 2015 at UFC 193. He won the fight via TKO in the first round after dropping Sobotta with a body kick and following up with punches on the ground. The victory also produced a ''Performance of the Night'' award for Noke. Noke was expected to face

Kelvin Gastelum Kelvin Gastelum (born October 24, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Gastelum earned a contract with the UFC after winning '' The ...

on 2 January 2016 at UFC 195. However 22 December, Gastelum was forced to pull out due to a wrist injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Alex Morono. Noke lost the bout via split decision. Noke next faced

Keita Nakamura is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist and grappler currently competing in the Welterweight division of RIZIN. A professional competitor since 2003, he has formerly competed for the UFC, World Victory Road, Pancrase, Shooto, DREAM, ...

on 13 July 2016 at UFC Fight Night 91. He lost the fight via submission (rear-naked choke) in the final seconds of the second round. Noke was expected to face Dominique Steele on 27 November 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 101 ''UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 101'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on November 27, 2016, at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. Background Thi ...

. However, Steele pulled out of the fight on 21 October and was replaced by Omari Akhmedov. Noke lost the fight via unanimous decision and subsequently announced his retirement shortly after.

Retirement and comeback

In October 2017, 10 months after his retirement announcement, Noke announced plans for an attempted comeback and step into the cage again. As of March 2019, Noke does not have timetable on a possible return.

Championships and achievements

** Submission of the Night (One time) vs. Chris Camozzi ** Performance of the Night (One time) **UFC.com Awards ***2010: Ranked #4 Newcomer of the Year * Xtreme Fighting Championships (Australia) **XFC Middleweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, , Omari Akhmedov , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–9–1 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: McDonald vs. Lineker , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:59 ,

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–8–1 , Alex Morono , Decision (split) , UFC 195 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–7–1 , Peter Sobotta , TKO (body kick and punches) , UFC 193 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:01 ,

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 21–7–1 , Jonavin Webb , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Miocic vs. Hunt , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–7–1 , Patrick Côté , Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale: Bisping vs. Kennedy , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Quebec City, Quebec, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 20–6–1 , Charlie Brenneman , TKO (punches) , UFC 152 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:45 ,

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–6–1 , Andrew Craig , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–5–1 , Ed Herman , Submission (inverted heel hook) , UFC Live: Hardy vs. Lytle , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:15 ,

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–4–1 , Chris Camozzi , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC 127 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:35 ,

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 18–4–1 , Rob Kimmons , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:33 ,

Oberhausen Oberhausen (, ) is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen ( ). The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Rout ...

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 17–4–1 , Josh Bryant , TKO (punches) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:12 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–4–1 , Kyacey Uscola , Decision (unanimous) , Top Combat Championship , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Hato Rey, Puerto Rico , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4–1 , Yoann Gouaida , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Cage Fighting Championships 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:43 ,

, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–4–1 , Scott Smith , KO (punch) , EliteXC: Street Certified , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:07 ,

Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–3–1 , Seth Kleinbeck , TKO (doctor stoppage) , EliteXC: Renegade , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:22 ,

Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi ( ; ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, Texas, Nueces County with portions extending into Aransas County, T ...

, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 13–3–1 , Hector Lombard , Draw , Cage Fighting Championship 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Gold Coast, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3 , Brian Ebersole , Decision (majority) , XFC 12: Oktoberfist , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Australia , Won the XFC Middleweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 , Yusaku Tsukumo , Submission (triangle choke) , Warriors Realm 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:14 ,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–3 , George Sotiropoulos , Decision (unanimous) , Warriors Realm 5 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...

Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Byron Donnelly , Decision (unanimous) , Warriors Realm 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , George Sotiropoulos , Decision (split) , Warriors Realm 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Luke Pezutti , TKO (punches) , Warriors Realm 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–2 , Katsuya Inoue , Decision (split) , Warriors Realm 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Sunshine Coast, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Rhys Whitmore , Submission (triangle choke) , Warriors Realm 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:38 , Sunshine Coast, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Matt Te-Paa , Decision (split) , XFC 5: When Worlds Collide , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Mike Sethna , Submission (kneebar) , Xtreme Fight Club 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:58 , Richlands, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Jimmy Raborn , Submission (rear-naked choke) , XFC 4: Australia vs. The World , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:30 ,

, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 , Noriyuki Hayakawa , Submission (armbar) , Xtreme Fighting Championships 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:33 ,

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Neil Swailes , TKO (punches) , Xtreme Fighting Championships 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:24 ,

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Adrian Bolton , TKO (punches) , Xtreme Fighting Championships 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:34 ,

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Ulf Strand , TKO (punches) , Spartan Reality Fight 6 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:21 ,

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Peter Robbie , TKO (submission to punches) , Spartan Reality Fight 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:25 ,

, Australia ,

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

References

External links

Official UFC Profile
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Noke, Kyle Living people Australian male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Sportspeople from Dubbo 1980 births Australian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Australian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Bodyguards Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Sportsmen from New South Wales 21st-century Australian sportsmen