Despite reports, Registered sex offender Kyle Noblitt won’t appear on Dana White’s Contender Series

On June 11th, Shawn Bitter of Combat Docket, tweeted that Kyle Noblitt, a heavyweight with an 8-0 record, would be appearing on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series – a new UFC Fight Pass show that will feature live fights between “up-and-coming talent” (per a UFC press release).

Bitter’s tweet stated that Noblitt would appear on the show on July 25th against a presently unknown opponent.

According to Springfield Crime Alert Kyle James Noblitt is a registered sex offender in Greene County/Springfield, Missouri. Noblitt’s listing on the site states that he was charged with sexual abuse against a 29-year-old female in Republic, MO in 2012.

On July 24th, 2012 the Greene County Commonwealth reported that Noblitt – a former ‘standout’ all-state wrestler at Republic High School – was arrested on July 6th and charged with 4 felonies, including:

Forcible sodomy – deviate sexual intercourse by forcible compulsion, serious physical injury; attempted forcible rape – attempted sexual intercourse by forcible compulsion; resisting arrest/detention/stop by fleeing—creating a substantial risk of serious Injury/death to any person; and sexual abuse.

In relation to those charges – according to court records – Noblitt was found guilty of two counts of sexual abuse and resisting arrest/detention on August 10th, 2015. On March 3rd, 2016 Noblitt was sentenced to 7 years of incarceration for sexual abuse and 4 years for resisting arrest. On July 1st, 2016 Noblitt was given a ‘suspended execution of sentence’ and assigned 5 years of probation.

Missouri court records state that Noblitt was given permission to remove a GPS monitoring device on June 8th after he petitioned the court to amend the conditions of his probation. The amendment allows Noblitt to, “remove GPS monitor during training and MMA events.” However, he must still have the device with him during such times.

According to Sherdog Noblitt fought at Bellator 150: Kongo vs. Spartan on February 26th, 2016 – defeating David Hammons by TKO in 45 seconds. This occurred after Noblitt had been found guilty and before he was sentenced in relation to his 2012 arrest.

In 2017, Noblitt spoke with Knuckle Junkie about his past legal issues (h/t Ryan Thomas/MMA Today). “I was charged with a crime and threatened with 18 years behind bars for something I was accused of and eventually found not guilty of,” said Noblitt. “I ended up serving four months, which is not much, but it changed my life.”

Below is a copy of public information pertaining to Noblitt’s case, hosted by Missouri’s Office of State Courts Administrator (via Case.Net).

Today, the UFC – through Vice President of Communications Lenee Breckenridge – responded to a request from Bloody Elbow to comment on this story. She stated the following:

“UFC confirms that Kyle Noblitt will not be appearing on DWTNCS. All athletes applying for the series must successfully complete a rigorous background check.”

This isn’t the first time the UFC has cancelled plans for a fighter’s debut after reports of past misconduct came to light. The promotion similarly rescinded bout agreements for Benjamin Brinsa and Devin Cole. They also terminated contracts with Brandon Saling (under the Zuffa-led Strikeforce banner) and Will Chope after information about past incidents were made public.