Kyle Noke did not have the usual day job on his way to being a professional fighter.

The self-described "country kid" and resident of Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia, worked security, as many fighters do when they hone their skills. But it was not the usual security gig. Instead of guarding a door, he guarded "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin.

Noke (16-4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), 29, served as Irwin's bodyguard for three years during Irwin's heyday as host of the Australian-based nature show. How did he get the job? Irwin, unbeknown to most, was a huge MMA fan.

So huge a fan, in fact, that a good part of Noke's job was to train "The Crocodile Hunter" between filming sessions. Noke and another bodyguard worked with Irwin on boxing, jiu jitsu and wrestling. Sometimes, they put on MMA gloves and sparred.

"Strong, very strong," Noke told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) of Irwin's ability. "He had that strength from wrestling crocs all his life from pulling them in and holding them tight. We'd never let him get on top because he would just hold you down as tight as he could."

Noke's typical day was to meet Irwin on the beach at 6 a.m., go surfing for a few hours, then train him at a zoo where he worked. Along the way, he learned to drive a boat and scuba dive when the show filmed. He could apply first aid to a Koala bear.

The 6-foot-2, 264-pound Irwin got so far into the sport that at one point he wanted to take a fight and donate his purse to charity. But the show's producers wanted to preserve his family image and eventually put the brakes on the idea.

So it went that Noke trained Irwin and bounced between the U.S. and Australia as he continued rack up professional victories. Along the way, he found the guidance of renowned trainer Greg Jackson and worked with the top fighters that rolled into camp, including Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine, and Joey Villasenor, among others.

Noke was training for a fight in September 2006 when he got word that Irwin had died. (The TV host was fatally stung by a stingray while filming an episode in the Great Barrier Reef.) He cancelled the fight and immediately flew back to Australia to pay his respects.

He went back to security at the zoo where Irwin worked but soon afterward decided that he needed to go after his dream.

"He instilled that passion for animals [in] me," Noke said of his former boss. "Definitely I look at animals in a different way now after being around him. I'll actually go out of my way now if I see an animal to help it."

Noke most notably fought UFC lightweight up-and-comer George Sotiropoulos twice and defeated him on one occasion. He also took highly regarded Hector Lombard to a draw, one of the few blemishes on the Bellator middleweight champion's record.

Almost four years after his experience with Irwin, Noke is uneasy about sharing it. Perhaps reluctantly, he told some of his "Ultimate Fighter" housemates about it, and it's been brought up more than once.

"I don't really like talking about it," he said. "When they do, I'll be quiet. They'll start doing Steve impersonations, and I don't say anything.

"I've got a lot of respect for his family back home because I worked with them as well. I love them to death, and I don't want to be disrespectful to them in any way."

Noke has more big-show experience than most of the contestants on the show – he fought twice for the now-defunct EliteXC and went 1-1 – but he's not overconfident about his chances to win the show.

"I'm a little nervous, (but) it's more excitement," he said. "I try to tell myself it's not nerves; it's excitement. If I wasn't nervous, that's when you get hurt ... because you're not thinking properly."