Filed under: Strikeforce
Three years after being bloodied and beaten in their first fight, Nick Diaz got his revenge against the last man to defeat him, KJ Noons, winning a unanimous decision and retaining his Strikeforce welterweight title on Saturday night.
Diaz was bloodied this time, too, but he was also the more effective fighter for 25 minutes of hard-charging action, weathering some hard punches from Noons and landing plenty of punches of his own. At the end of the fight, which was billed as a grudge match, Diaz and Noons exchanged a hug. They had earned each other’s respect.
“I beat this guy on the ground or standing up,” Diaz said afterward. “I’ll beat this guy in a boxing match but I’ll also tap him out on the ground. … I just want to display my skills to the world because I can do it all.”