After spending the past year working on his boxing career, recent Strikeforce signee and former EliteXC lightweight champion K.J. Noons is ready to concentrate solely on MMA in 2010.
Noons (7-2) discussed his plans with MMAjunkie.com a day after Strikeforce officially announced the signing.
Noons expects to make his promotional debut on the organization's Jan. 30 card in Florida, and while not "calling him out," the Hawaiian-born fighter is certainly open to a rematch with Nick Diaz.
Noons won the EliteXC strap with an upset of Diaz in November 2007. However, due to a clash with EliteXC management and his boxing aspirations, Noons hasn't competed in MMA since a successful title defense over Yves Edwards in June 2008.
Strikeforce officials first spoke to Noons about a contract earlier this year, and they were willing to wait for him.
"I had those boxing fights that I had to fulfill," said Noons, who went 4-1 this year to push his overall boxing mark to 12-2. "I let Strikeforce know that I wanted to come back at the end of the year. And it was a good deal. They're super-cool about the boxing and the MMA, and I told them that I'm ready to jump back in it. It's time."
So will it be just MMA in 2010?
"I'm still going to try to do both," he said. "But this past year, I focused on boxing. Now, I want to go back to MMA and focus strictly on MMA."
Noons said he's ready to fight on Dec. 19 at "Strikeforce: Evolution" in case of a late scratch, but he expects Jan. 30 will be his official promotional debut. Coincidentally, Strikeforce just today announced that Diaz has been added to the card, though no opponent has been determined.
EliteXC attempted to book (and some might even say bully) Noons for the Diaz rematch, though it never happened. EliteXC officials stripped him of the belt after saying Noons refused to fight Diaz. Noons, though, criticized EliteXC officials of poorly publicizing his career, breach of his confidentially agreement, poor pay, threats of a lawsuit, and instigating a now-infamous in-ring scuffle between Noons' and Diaz's camps following the Edwards fight.
So would Noons be open to rematch under the Strikeforce banner?
"Of course I'm interested down the line," he said. "I'm ready to get back in there and mix it up. I'm not calling anybody out or saying, 'I want you' right now. I'm just happy to be with Strikeforce, I'm happy to be back in MMA, and I just want to put on good fights for people."
For complete coverage of "Strikeforce in Miami," stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.
Not interested. Different weight classes, different points in their career.
KJ Noons vs. Fancy Pants
I echo the above.
Noons vs Lyle
Diaz vs Zaromskis (I'll take Hieron, too.)
noons won't move up to WW, now noons wants to fight diaz; how surprising.....
"Of course I'm interested down the line,"
Looks like a misleading thread title
I doubt Nick could make 155 or 160 or whatever the Strikeforce LW limit is. He's just grown into his body and looks much thicker.
Still would love to see a rematch, though it would've been better a year ago.
Nick's best fighting weight is 160 lbs. IMO.
So after saying Diaz didnt deserve a rematch for 2 years now he wants it?
noons is 155, diaz has a hard time making 170 these days
CRBMoney14 - So after saying Diaz didnt deserve a rematch for 2 years now he wants it?
noons is a bitch that ducked nick. he's just not going to admit it.
awesomely misleading thread title. lol
I'ma guess that less than 15% of people who end up posting on this thread will actually read the article before replying.
Jack Skellington - Nick's best fighting weight is 160 lbs. IMO.
Strikeforce LW is 155, it was EliteXC that had the "special" 160 lb. limit.
Diaz can't get there.
BJJkilla - noons won't move up to WW, now noons wants to fight diaz; how surprising.....
He has already said he will fight Diaz at 170.
CRBMoney14 - So after saying Diaz didnt deserve a rematch for 2 years now he wants it?
What sense does that make? Diaz has had numerous wins since then, and Noons is not the title holder now. Kind of a pretty far cry from when they were trying to give Diaz a rematch for the title only a few fights after KJ had destroyed him, with Diaz's only wins in the interim being Denny, Aina, and Corbrey (coming in a hilarious 9lb overweight for the last of those).
Of course KJ wants to fight Diaz now that he's at a higher weight class and has no chance of moving back down...
orcus -CRBMoney14 - So after saying Diaz didnt deserve a rematch for 2 years now he wants it?
What sense does that make? Diaz has had numerous wins since then, and Noons is not the title holder now. Kind of a pretty far cry from when they were trying to give Diaz a rematch for the title only a few fights after KJ had destroyed him, with Diaz's only wins in the interim being Denny, Aina, and Corbrey (coming in a hilarious 9lb overweight for the last of those).
Ya because there were so many other challengers for KJ and Diaz didnt want to continue in the first ifght
No way diaz can drop to 155 or 160.
Noons vs thomson please
orcus -BJJkilla - noons won't move up to WW, now noons wants to fight diaz; how surprising.....
He has already said he will fight Diaz at 170.
really? you have a source?
I think most diaz's opponents are scared of him because of how tuff he acts, i think allot of them are beat before they even fight with him, you can see it in the fights too like there thinking if i hit him hard hes really going to kick my ass, if not now after the fight when i want it to be done with. This diaz is crazy, fighting peoples familys and in the hospitals and shit. Some feel a lose would be better than the repercutions of beating him maybe because he wont let it go till he feels he wins in the end somehow.
" Noons is awful. After Diaz rapes him I don't care to ever see him in Strikeforce. The competition level is way too deep for him."
What on earth do you base that comment on?
"Ya because there were so many other challengers for KJ and Diaz didnt want to continue in the first ifght "
Uh, Noons was asking to defend his title against Eddie Alvarez instead. Please note this was after Eddie had beaten Kawajiri (KO) and Hansen and Dida (KO). But I guess KJ thought Diaz, whom he had had ZERO trouble with in their first fight, was somehow more deadly, right? Based on his AWESOME wins over Aina (controversial split) and Corbrey (TKO win after coming in 9lb overweight for a 160lb weighin against a guy who should be -- and now is -- at 145)?