Australian Kyle Noke will take on Yoshihiro ‘Sexyama’ Akiyama at UFC Fight Night 52 in Japan

STEVE Irwin’s former bodyguard Kyle Noke will make his return to the Octagon in September against Japanese MMA superstar Yoshihiro Akiyama.

BCM 19.1.2012 UFC athletes training at a gym in Bowen Hills. Kyle Noke, Queenslander. Pic Jono Searle

STEVE Irwin’s former bodyguard Kyle Noke will make his return to the Octagon in September against Japanese MMA superstar Yoshihiro “Sexyama” Akiyama.

The Aussie (20-7-1), coming off a loss to Patrick Cote at The Ultimate Fighter finale back in April, desperately needs a victory to ensure he retains his UFC contract. Before that, a 45-second TKO win over Charlie Brenneman halted a two-fight losing streak for the 34-year-old.

Akiyama’s form has also been patchy, with just one win in five bouts under the UFC banner. However, three of those performances earned the 39-year-old a Fight of the Night bonus — and he remains a legend in his home country of South Korea and his adopted home of Japan.

An Asian Games gold medallist in judo, Akiyama stars in his own reality TV show, Superman Is Back. Despite being married to model Shiho Yano, Akiyama continues to boast a huge female fan base — one that’s made his “Sexyama” nickname well-earned.

Noke and Akiyama will square off at the Saitama Super Arena on a card that’s headlined by heavyweights Mark Hunt and Roy Nelson.

Hunt, who is from New Zealand but fights out of Sydney, has a huge following in Japan. In his early career the “Super Samoan” competed under the now defunct Pride FC banner.