Chris Camozzi (14-3) meets Kyle Noke (18-4-1) on the main card of UFC 127. As an Aussie, Noke should have the crowd solidly behind him in this battle of well rounded fighters riding win streaks.
How do these guys stack up?
Camozzi: 24 years old, 6’3″
Noke: 30 years old, 6’0″
What have they done lately?
Camozzi: W – Chad Reiner (SUB), W – James Hammortree (Dec), W Dongi Yang (Dec)
Noke: W – Kyacey Uscola (Dec), W – Josh Bryant (TKO), W Rob Kimmons (Sub)
How did these guys get here?
Chris Camozzi was a part of season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter but was forced off the show after suffering a broken jaw against Victor O’Donnell. Camozzi won the O’Donnell fight and that performance was enough to ensure that he would find himself with a spot in the UFC. He entered his first UFC fight with a 12-3 record and faced James Hammortree at the Ultimate Fighter Finale. He would win that fight by unanimous decision. His next fight was against Korean fighter Dongi Yang and Camozzi pulled off the narrow split decision victory. With the win he ran his win streak up to four fights.
Kyle Noke began his career in 2002 and compiled a 13-3-1 record fighting on the Australian scene before signing with EliteXC. Kyle picked up a win over Seth Kleinbeck before getting knocked out in a competitive bout with Scott Smith. He would go on to compete on the same season of The Ultimate Fighter as Camozzi where he lost via decision in the quarter-finals to Kris McCray. In the season finale event, Noke pulled off a TKO win over Josh Bryant and fought again at UFC 122 winning by submission over Rob Kimmons. He also enters the bout riding a four fight win streak.
Why should you care?
We’re in the weeding out phase of TUF 11 contestants and both men are looking to prove that they can hang in the UFC. The winner will be riding a five fight win streak and should be given the chance to test their skills against a proven UFC fighter. If that doesn’t do it for you, Aussie fans chanting for their local guy should make for a fun watch.