Ten months after retiring, former UFC welterweight Kyle Noke is coming back to mixed martial arts.
Kyle Noke is coming back to MMA.
The veteran welterweight said in a Thursday social media post that he plans to fight again.
Noke, a former UFC fighter, explained that he lost his will to compete during his last few Octagon outings, but now that he has had nearly a year off from fighting, he has the itch to return.
“My last few fights I lost that fire, I was just in there because I didn't know anything else,” Noke wrote on Instagram. “Now that I've had time to rest and heal, time away from the grueling training sessions and constant grind, I miss it now more than ever. I will fight again. I have that fire again.”
Noke did not give a timetable for his return. It isn’t clear whether he’d immediately return to the UFC or have to pick up one or two victories on the local circuit first.
Noke (22-10-1) stepped away from the sport in November 2016 following three losses in a row. In his last fight, the Australian lost to Omari Akhmedov by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 101.
Noke, who coached The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia opposite Canadian welterweight Patrick Cote in 2014, last picked up a victory in November 2015 when he defeated Peter Sobotta by TKO as a betting underdog.
Noke, 37, spent time training between Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuqerque, New Mexico and his native Australia.