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UFC veteran Kyle Noke excited by growth of Aussie MMA

12th May, 2012
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UFC fighter and Australian Kyle Noke
Roar Guru
12th May, 2012
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1548 Reads

When the UFC confirmed earlier in the week that The Ultimate Fighter would be coming to Australia this fall, one of the first names that sprung to mind for many as a potential coach for the Australian side was Kyle Noke.

The man from Dubbo in New South Wales is a veteran of more than 25 fights, having competed domestically for XFC, Warriors Realm, and CFC prior to earning his way into the UFC through The Ultimate Fighter himself.

With his experience as a member of Team Liddell during Season 11 of the long-running reality TV competition, the 32-year-old middleweight would certainly have first-hand insights to share with the Aussie hopefuls, and he’s hopeful that he gets the opportunity to do just that later this year.

“I would love to be a part of it,” said Noke, speaking with The Roar last week from Albuquerque, New Mexico where he trains with Team Jackson-Winkeljohn.

“I think that I’m in touch with the people that are back home in Australia right now — the young fighters that are coming through — so I’d love to be a part of it.

“It’s going to be a huge opportunity for guys to get their shot at a big show. I think for Australian fighters now, if someone like the UFC or any company in America was to fly someone over from Australia, it’s a long flight and a lot of money, so a lot of Australians don’t get the opportunity.

“Like myself, I had to pay my way over here to start off with, and a lot of fighters have to do that just to get a shot here in a bigger show.”

Over the last two years and change, the UFC has made three trips to Australia, twice bringing pay-per-view events (UFC 110 and 127), while most recently delivering a televised fight card from Sydney this past March.

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While the sport has been around domestically long before the UFC started making annual visits, the arrival of the biggest organisation in the business has led to an upswell of interest in the sport, something Noke believes will only continue to grow in the coming months and years.

“I think it’s great for the MMA scene in Australia. The sport’s getting bigger and bigger around the world, and Australia’s no different from any other country — they love it.

“The fact that the UFC goes there,” continued Noke, who has put together a 19-6-1 record over the course of his 11-year career. “It’s funny because Australia is right out of the way for everyone — people tend to forget about it sometimes — but we’re lucky enough that the UFC has been there three times now, and are talking about going back some more.

“The sport has really grown, and there’s a lot of really great fighters coming out of there now. People that wouldn’t be able to see the sport, they watch it now. There’s a lot of great athletes coming out (of Australia now in part) because the UFC has been going there.”

While young fighters in North America or Brazil have always seen themselves represented inside the Octagon and believed competing in the UFC was a real possibility for them, the same hasn’t always been true for emerging Australian talents. Until recently, only a very limited number of Australian fighters had competed in the UFC, making it hard for a up-and-comers to envision themselves making it to the biggest stage in the sport.

That has changed in recent years as Noke, George Sotiropoulos, and Anthony Perosh have been able to have success, and the former XFC Middleweight Champion hopes that he’s able to help pave the way for the next generation to chase their dreams in the future.

“I think it’s great for Australian athletes to have someone win the title or get up into the top ten — it would give a lot of young kids there the realization that they can follow their dreams too, and not just compete on that level, but compete at the very top and possibly win a title. It’s great for the young kids to have someone to look up to like that.

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“Chris Haseman was an early guy — he fought in the UFC as well, and all around the world,” continued Noke.

“He was a guy I looked up to a lot. Those guys paved the way for us, the second generation, to come through, and hopefully I can do the same thing, and make a big impact to help young Australian fighters come through as well.”

Unfortunately, it will still be a while before young Australian fighter (and fight fans everywhere) will see Noke back in the Octagon.

After a strong first round in his March meeting with newcomer Andrew Craig, Noke faded in the second and third, losing a unanimous decision to the unbeaten Texan. It was later discovered that the Ultimate Fighter alum injured his knee in the contest, and would be sidelined indefinitely.

“It feels better. It ended up being a Grade 1 sprain across the knee, and also a bruised bone,” explained Noke.

“It’s taken a while to heal — it’s taken a bit longer than normal — but it’s slowly getting there; it’s a slow process. I’m slowly rehabbing it. These last few weeks I’ve started boxing, and I started kickboxing again, so hopefully within the next week I’ll start doing jiu-jitsu again.

“They haven’t given me a time frame yet. Basically, the doctor has said that when I’m comfortable twisting on it — when it gets the full strength back in it — that’s when I can start doing full training, jiu-jitsu, and stuff like that. I don’t want to rush it.

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“I hate being on the sidelines watching, especially after a loss; I want to get back in there and start working even harder to win. I’m still (at Jackson’s) every morning watching the guys, working to strengthen my knee, but it’s very hard.”

While it might still be a while before we see Noke back in the cage, he’s throwing his hat in the ring to be a coach on “The Smashes.” Whether he gets the position or not, the veteran remains excited to see the show coming to his homeland, and optimistic about what it means for the future of MMA in Australia.

“Every time I go home, the fans are getting more and more educated, and the public is getting more and more educated. I think that’s a huge part of the UFC coming to Australia; it’s really growing there, and I think with The Ultimate Fighter going to Australia, it’s just going to (continue to) blow up.”

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