KYLE Noke's return to the Octagon ended in disappointment yesterday when the Dubbo-born fighter lost to Canadian Patrick Cote in the finale of The Ultimate Fighter: Nations in Quebec.
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The 34-year-old was handed a unanimous points defeat by the three judges, one of whom scored the bout 30-27 in favour of Cote, despite Noke clearly winning the second round.
The other two judges had the score 29-28 in favour of Cote, which was a far greater indication of how close the fight was.
The Canadian's ground game was the key to the fight as he was able to wear down Noke when the bout went to the canvas.
Noke tried unsuccessfully on three occasions in the first round to lure the Canadian into submission holds but each time Cote was able to avoid and strike.
The second round was a completely different story, with Noke asserting his dominance in the stand-up.
His pure striking and a knee that connected rattled Cote, and he followed up with a barrage of punches that had the his rival on the back foot.
The final three minutes saw both men give it everything, with Noke landing the first significant blow of the round when he connected with a superman punch.
But Cote was able to take the fight back to the ground in the dying stages and re-assert his dominant ground game.
Cote's win capped a magnificent series for the Canadians, who qualified all four fighters for the finals of both the middleweight and welterweight divisions of the reality series.
Despite the disappointment of losing the fight and the series, Noke was dignified in his speech after the contest and gained a number of fans in the Pepsi colosseum and also on social media.
Noke's mixed martial arts record now stands at 20 wins, seven losses and a draw while his UFC record is four wins and three losses.
