UFC vet Kyle Noke unretires, announces MMA return: ‘I have that fire again’

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.

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.