What We’ll Remember About This Fight
Kyle Noke made his return to his native Australia for the first time in over a year, and he probably wanted to do a bit more to impress his countrymen.
Noke was coming off a loss to Ed Herman in his last bout at UFC on Versus 4, and needed a win badly to stay on track in the middleweight division, but he was unable to secure the victory against Andrew Craig.
In his UFC debut, Craig looked impressive as he was able to comeback from a rocky first round to win the remainder of the bout mostly on the feet.
A late takedown in the third secured the victory for Craig, who is now 1-0 inside the Octagon.
What We Learned About Noke
Noke is going to have to work on his striking a bit if he wants to remain relevant in the UFC.
He was thought to have a bit of an advantage on the feet against Craig, but he was out stuck and saw the majority of his takedowns stuffed by the UFC newcomer.
Noke has now lost his last two bouts and will need a win badly in his next bout if he wants to compete in the UFC going forward.
What We Learned About Craig
After coming into the bout as an underdog and with a lot of pressure against the crowd favorite in Noke, Craig proved he was able to handle fighting inside the Octagon.
A lot of guys don’t perform to the best of their abilities in their first UFC fight, but Craig showed an impressive tenacity and was able to bounce back from a rough first round to control the rest of the bout and score the win.
What’s Next for Noke
Coming off of two straight losses is tough for any fighter, but Noke is a UFC veteran and won’t get any favors from Joe Silva for his next fight.
A bout with fellow TUF veteran Tim Creduer would make a lot of sense for his next trip to the cage.
What’s Next for Craig
Craig looked good against Noke, but he still has a lot to prove before he is considered a solid prospect in the middleweight division.
A fight against Sean Loeffler, who was injured just seconds before his UFC debut last month, would be an entertaining scrap.
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