EliteXC: KJ Noons spurns Nick Diaz rematch and is in talks to fight Yves Edwards (Update)

Kj Noons

Update: KJ Noons and Yves Edwards will indeed fight for the EliteXC lightweight title on April 26 in Honolulu, Hawaii, according to AmericanTopTeam.com.

EliteXC Lightweight Champion KJ Noons has made a decision to not grant Nick Diaz an immediate rematch and is in talks to take on Yves Edwards in his first title defense sometime later this year.

No date, venue or event was provided to MMAmania.com regarding the potential championship showdown between Noons and Edwards.

The first-ever EliteXC lightweight championship fight between Noons and Diaz ended in controversy last November at EliteXC: “Renegade.” Noons was victorious when the fight was stopped following the first round because of cuts near Diaz’ eyes. The ringside doctor assessed the damage and ruled that Diaz unable to continue in his bloody condition.

We’ve all seen Diaz get cut before. Let’s face it, he’s a “bleeder.” But this was the first time he lost a fight because of it and it was a championship bout nonetheless. The result led Diaz to opt for plastic surgery to fix the scar tissue around his eyes.

Here’s a snip from Diaz’s training partner, Kit Cope, back in November:

“We’re going to get his eyes fixed up. There’s something they can do to actually fix the scars that makes them a lot smaller. [Stile is] going to have him fixed up so he doesn’t split open so easy. We’re going to go ahead and do that, have another warm-up fight and then come back and snag the title back that belongs to him.”

It looks as though thats exactly what’s going to happen for Diaz. His warm-up fight appears to be Muhsin Corbbrey, and then — with a win — he may get another title shot.

That of course could be against the winner of the scrap between Noons and Edwards if it is eventually booked.

Edwards is certainly deserving of a shot at the gold with his recent success in the cage and his decorated past. He looked great on this past Saturday against Edson Berto, knocking him out in the first round with an amazing one-legged knee to the grill.

Since joining American Top Team Edwards is undefeated (3-0) and recharged. He may even be a favorite against the champ if the fight does indeed happen.
Make no mistake: Diaz does deserve a rematch with Noons. He is arguably the best overall fighter in the organization. His hit list is certainly the most impressive with wins over current middleweight champ, Robbie Lawler, as well as the man who will challenge for the welterweight title in March, Drew Fickett.

And let’s not forget his electrifying win, which was later ruled a no contest, over the top lightweight in the world, Takanori Gomi.

No disrespect to Edwards because he’s proven himself in this sport, but after the way Diaz lost to Noons it would have been nice to see an instant rematch.

Of course, cuts are part of the sport and they do happen. But if ever there were grounds for a rematch it’s when a fight has to end because of a cut … especially a title fight. In fact, the brawl between Diaz and Noons looked like it was going to be an absolute war before it was stopped.

A lot of people had Noons ahead on the scorecard. But anyone who has ever seen a Diaz fight knows you can never count him out. Especially after only one round in a five round title fight.
We all know Diaz can go for days — he competes in triathlons when he is not fighting. His cardio is on another level. It’s not far fetched to say he would have eventually wore Noons down and worked his black belt jiu jitsu knowledge to submit the inexperienced ground fighter.

Regardless, Noons and Diaz will meet up again some time soon. Exactly when all depends on what Edwards can do in the cage if given the opportunity to challenge the champion and if Diaz can get back on the winning track.

Written by admin on February 20th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on KJ Noons and Yves Edwards and Nick Diaz and EliteXC and MMA.

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