UFC veteran Kyle Noke, ex-bodyguard of Steve Irwin, reveals what the Crocodile Hunter was like off camera – and the cheeky reason why he said ‘crikey’ so much
- Ex-UFC star Kyle Noke tells the stories of Steve Irwin
- Reveals what Crocodile Hunter looked like off camera
- Noke worked as a bodyguard for Irwin and his family
Australian UFC great Kyle Noke has opened up about his relationship with ‘Crocodile Hunter’ Steve Irwin, revealing what he was like off camera and the most important lesson the Australian icon taught him about life.
Noke, who retired in 2016, was hired by Irwin as part of his personal security after the late naturalist fighter became fascinated with the sport of MMA and wanted someone to train with.
Irwin built a cage for MMA training at the zoo and had Noke practice with him every morning.
“He was the same as on camera, except he cursed a little more,” Noke revealed on the channel Mind Your Head podcast.
‘I hate to tell everyone, so the ‘crikeys’ and all that [were] so he wouldn’t say f**k on TV.’
Noke says some of his fondest memories of Irwin are after they finished their morning session.
Kyle Noke, who was The Crocodile Hunter’s bodyguard for years, says Irwin was the same off camera, except he swore a little more
Noke says the most valuable lessons he learned from Irwin were about fatherhood
“My favorite days were when we would sit down after practice and me and him would talk for hours,” Noke said.
“He just told me stories about when he was younger and his life.”
The pair bonded over MMA and soon Irwin was so intrigued by the booming combat sport that he wanted to walk away from his TV work so he could have a charity fight against Vin Diesel or Wesley Snipes.
Noke said Irwin’s producers hated the idea, but he wanted to do it anyway.
The former UFC star said the most valuable lessons he learned from Irwin were about fatherhood.
“The way he treated his children,” Noke explained. ‘The way he always had time for his children.’
‘He was in the middle of a meeting with the Discovery Channel – big people in the world – and Bindi came and asked for something and he said, ‘Wait a minute guys, my daughter needs something.’
“He stopped what he was doing and talked to her….”
Irwin built a cage for MMA training at the zoo and had Noke train with him every morning
Noke says he wouldn’t be where he is today without Irwin’s support
The former UFC star says Irwin (pictured with his family) always had time for his kids, no matter how busy he was
“You could see it in his eyes, his kids just cheered him on. That’s probably the most important thing I learned from him: how to be a good father and be present for your children.”
Irwin was so popular with other celebrities that Noke says he and the other guards came up with a nickname for him.
“We always called him ‘the celebrity of celebrities,’” Noke said.
“All the A-Listers when they came to Australia just wanted to meet him. So he met everyone: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Owen Wilson, Wu Tang Clan. They couldn’t wait to meet him.’
Irwin has helped Noke immensely with his own career, paying for the Dubbo-born fighter to travel abroad to train.
Tragically, Irwin died in 2006 after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming on the Great Barrier Reef.
Tragically, Irwin passed away in 2006 and never saw Noke compete in the UFC
Noke was preparing for a fight in the US when the news was announced. He says he didn’t believe it at first.
“I laughed and said ‘bulls**t,’” he said.
Noke says he initially decided to stay in the United States and devote his fight to Irwin, but later changed his mind.
‘The next day I really started thinking about it and I wanted to say goodbye to my boyfriend, someone who is so important in my life, so I decided not to fight and fly home and have the chance to to say goodbye like I would. never get it again…
“Without him I wouldn’t be here today.”