Former The Ultimate Fighter competitor Kyle Noke is hoping that he can bring his UFC career full circle by putting his name in the hat to become a coach on the new international season of the reality show, which pits his native Australia against Canada.
Noke, who was one of the first fighters to come to prominence out of Australia, has been nursing a wrist injury after having surgery just weeks ago, but he’s already targeting his next mission in the UFC.
While he missed out on the first season of the international reality show while fellow countryman George Sotiropoulos took on Ross Pearson, Noke is ready for the challenge in the next version.
“That’s something that I definitely want to do, and I think me versus probably Patrick Cote would be the most logical choice for the coaching job,” Noke told MMA‘s Great Debate Radio recently. “I’d love to fight him, I’d love to see it. I know he’s been tweeting about it and would love the job also. So we both want the job, let’s get in there and do it.
“He’s another big guy, he just came down a weight division. I think that would be a great fight, and it would be a great show to have me versus him.”
Cote also told Bleacher Report recently, after inking a new multi-fight deal with the UFC, that a job coaching Team Canada on the The Ultimate Fighter would be a dream come true. Just like Noke, Cote is a former contestant on the reality show and has plenty of real world UFC experience to pass on to the next crop of Octagon hopefuls.
For his part more than anything, Noke just wants to be a part of the show so he can continue to help drive the sport of MMA in his native country. While he trains primarily in New Mexico now as part of Team Greg Jackson, Noke still travels home whenever he can to help fighters in Australia as well.
He believes being on the The Ultimate Fighter would be a great showcase to take the sport to the next level, and he wants to be a part of it.
“It would mean a lot to me. I’d love to have the opportunity to coach the young Australians, and help them pursue their dreams and it would mean the world to me,” Noke stated. “It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, and I’d be happy.”
Noke thinks that Cote is the natural choice as an opponent and as a fellow coach on the reality show, but no matter who he’d be matched up with, he wants in as the head of Team Australia.
If it’s Cote or another Canadian, it really doesn’t matter much to Noke. He just wants to be a part of this season and represent Australia like he’s been doing since day one when he first stepped on the mats.
“I think it would be the best option for both of us. Either way I don’t care who it is,” Noke stated. “I want the job and I’m prepared to fight anyone for it. For me, Patrick would probably be the best opposing coach.”
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.
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