Tag: KJ Noons

Nick Diaz vs. KJ Noons Welterweight Title Bout Being Targeted for October 9 Strikeforce Event

 (I think the message was quite clear. I specifically told Nick NOT to be scared.)
It looks like Strikeforce has missed the marketing train once again as the promotion has passed on a self-selling grudge match between Jason "Mayhem Miller&quo…

 
(I think the message was quite clear. I specifically told Nick NOT to be scared.)

It looks like Strikeforce has missed the marketing train once again as the promotion has passed on a self-selling grudge match between Jason "Mayhem Miller" and Nick Diaz and will instead once again pair the latter up with KJ Noons in a rematch of their 2007 EliteXC title bout. In that fight, Noons emerged victorious due to doctor stoppage resulting from a cut sustained by Diaz. More memorable than their bout was the in-cage melee between Team Cesar Gracie and Noons’ father a year later after Noons’ fight with Yves Edwards in Hawaii during which Nick’s immortal "Don’t be scared, homie," line was born. EliteXC brass orchestrated a rematch-hyping staredown between KJ and Nick, but as we have learned, whenever a Diaz is involved, anything can, and usually will happen.

This time around Diaz’s welterweight strap will be up for grabs, which makes perfect sense according to Strikeforce calculus. Anywhere else Noons may have to…I don’t know…win a fight at 170 perhaps before getting a shot for the belt. But this is Strikeforce, where logic is overrated and matchmaking is easy if you have a magic eight ball.

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Lawal, Noons Cleared in Canned Oxygen Controversy; Rules Vary by State

Filed under: Fighting, Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsBefore the start of two separate matches on national television Saturday night, fighters K.J. Noons and “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal could be seen inhaling from small, cylindrical canisters handed…

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Before the start of two separate matches on national television Saturday night, fighters K.J. Noons and “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal could be seen inhaling from small, cylindrical canisters handed to them by their cornermen. In Lawal’s case, the canister — which contained canned oxygen — was furnished to his camp two weeks ago by a company named Oxygen4Energy. Lawal tried the product and liked it enough that he decided to use it on fight night.

By the next morning, though, a small controversy had erupted. The MMA site MiddleEasy.com published a story which stated that “compressed oxygen is a substance banned from nearly every endurance sport, including MMA; in every state, including Texas.”

Why then, were Lawal and Noons using it in so openly in public? And were they openly breaking the rules by using performance-enhancing substances?

KJ Noons Says He Isn’t a Dirty Fighter; He Just Plays One on TV

(I gotta split, man. KITT is double parked out front.)
According to Strikeforce lightweight KJ Noons, he isn’t a dirty fighter and he says fans shouldn’t be swayed by popular opinion about a late punch he connected with after the bell in the first roun…


(I gotta split, man. KITT is double parked out front.)

According to Strikeforce lightweight KJ Noons, he isn’t a dirty fighter and he says fans shouldn’t be swayed by popular opinion about a late punch he connected with after the bell in the first round and a questionable knee he landed to his downed opponent Jorge Gurgel in the second round during their Strikeforce: Houston bout on Saturday night.

"I’m not trying to be dirty," Noons said. "I’m just trying to finish the fight."

The fighter with the Hasselhoff hair explained the late shot to MMAJunkie, pointing to the fact that he wanted to ensure he won the round and that he didn’t even hear the bell.

"I didn’t hear the bell," Noons said. "I heard the 10 seconds. When you hear the 10 seconds, being a fighter, this is your chance. I don’t know if I won that round. I don’t know if he won that round. You want to end every round showing out good. A lot of guys do a takedown. For myself, I want to get that last couple combos in to maybe finish the round good and win the round."

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Strikeforce: Houston Results in a Night of Upsets and Controversy

Filed under: StrikeforceOn paper, Strikeforce: Houston looked like it would be a night where a series of favorites stampeded to easy victories. Then again, they don’t fight on paper.

“King” Mo Lawal got off to a good start in his first Strikeforce lig…

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On paper, Strikeforce: Houston looked like it would be a night where a series of favorites stampeded to easy victories. Then again, they don’t fight on paper.

“King” Mo Lawal got off to a good start in his first Strikeforce light heavyweight title defense. He slammed Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante to the mat, deftly avoided most of his offensive assaults, and seemed like he was in complete control.

Then in the third round the Brazilian challenger found his range in the stand-up game and unloaded on Lawal with hard right hands and a series of knees to the head that left the champion wobbled. After dropping Lawal with a left-right combination, Cavalcante poured on the elbow strikes until referee “Big” John McCarthy called a stop to the bout at 1:14 of round three, making “Feijao” the third man to hold the Strikeforce light heavyweight strap in 2010.

“My strategy was to block his takedowns in the first and second rounds, because I knew he was going to get tired, and that’s what I did,” Cavalcante said in the post-fight press conference.

KJ Noons Defends Controversial Actions in Win Over Jorge Gurgel

Filed under: MMA Videos, Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive, VideosHOUSTON — MMA Fighting spoke to KJ Noons following his victory over Jorge Gurgel Saturday night at Strikeforce: Houston.

The former EliteXC lightweight champion talked about whether he m…

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HOUSTON — MMA Fighting spoke to KJ Noons following his victory over Jorge Gurgel Saturday night at Strikeforce: Houston.

The former EliteXC lightweight champion talked about whether he meant to hit Gurgel after the bell at the conclusion of the first round, his apparent illegal knee at the end of the fight, his take on the way the fight played out and whether his next fight will take place in an MMA cage or boxing ring.

Check out the video interview below.

Jorge Gurgel Holds No Hard Feelings Towards KJ Noons, Blames Referee

Filed under: MMA Videos, Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive, VideosHOUSTON — MMA Fighting spoke to a disappointed Jorge Gurgel following his controversial loss to KJ Noons at Strikeforce: Houston.

Gurgel talked about whether he thought Noons intended to…

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HOUSTON — MMA Fighting spoke to a disappointed Jorge Gurgel following his controversial loss to KJ Noons at Strikeforce: Houston.

Gurgel talked about whether he thought Noons intended to hit him after the bell in the first round, the apparent illegal knee at the end of the fight and why he didn’t try to take the fight to the ground more.

Check out the video interview below.