Filed under: Strikeforce
It took three years, two fights, two promotions, an in-ring brawl and the memorable “Don’t be scared, homie” catch phrase for Nick Diaz to get a chance to prove his point. All along, he said he was the better man, that KJ Noons had only won their first fight in Nov. 2007 because of scar tissue that caused his skin to rip open.
At the time, Diaz was so angry at the doctor’s stoppage that he climbed up the cage’s chain links, hopped over the side and escaped back to his dressing room. For a year, it seemed the rematch would happen, only it never did. For a time, Diaz had given up on it, believing he’d never get his chance to right the perceived wrong.
Somehow, Noons became the guy who won by a lucky cut, as if he hadn’t roughed up Diaz over the five minutes they fought. Somehow, it had become a fluke. The public came to view Noons as the guy who took his win and ran away, choosing to chase a boxing career instead of granting Diaz a rematch.
In the end, Diaz vs. Noons II offered redemption for both.