Tag: Nick Diaz

KJ Noons: ‘Of Course I’m Looking Past’ Jorge Masvidal

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KJ NoonsIt’s perhaps the most common refrain in sports: “I’m not looking past (insert opponent here).”

But KJ Noons has a slightly different take on the adage that nearly all title contenders wind up saying at one point or another. And it just might make sense.

“Of course I’m looking past (Jorge Masvidal),” Noons told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of “The MMA Hour,” “because I want a title shot.”

Noons fights Masvidal on Saturday in what Strikeforce has deemed a No. 1 contenders fight for the lightweight belt held by Gilbert Melendez. It will be Noons’ first fight since a welterweight title fight loss to Nick Diaz last October.

Noons (10-3, 2-1 Strikeforce) and Masvidal (21-6, 3-0 Strikeforce) were slated for the preliminary card of Strikeforce’s show at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, which features the next two quarterfinal fights in the promotion’s heavyweight tournament on the main card. But when Gina Carano had to pull out of her return last week, Noons-Masvidal was bumped up for the Showtime audience instead of a prelim card that will air live on HDNet.

And Noons told Helwani he’s put in more work for this fight than he did for his title shot with Diaz, which saw him go up a weight class on relatively short notice.

“He’s definitely top notch, and I think he makes for an exciting fight,” Noons said. “This has been probably the hardest camp I’ve ever had to train for, this fight. This is actually harder than the Diaz fight. I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older, or we’re trying to get things more fine tuned.”

With a wedding to his longtime girlfriend looming in the fall, Noons said he would love to make quick work of Masvidal to get his shot at Melendez, then get right back in there with the champion.

“I heard there’s rumors Gilbert wants to fight in August,” Noons said. “I’ve never trained so hard. Once I get my hand raised, I would love to get one more fight before I tie the knot.”

With a layoff of more than eight months, Noons told MMA Fighting earlier this month in Las Vegas that he was itching to get back in the cage. Noons fought four times in 2010 going 3-1, but the Masvidal fight will be his first in 2011 – making this his longest layoff in four years.

And even though he said he’s willing to go back to 170 pounds if the right fight is there, saying he just wants to put on exciting fights, Noons believes 155 is where he’s supposed to be.

“This is definitely my weight class,” Noons told MMA Fighting in Las Vegas. “I was supposed to fight for a title at 155 before the Nick Diaz fight, but they asked me if I wanted to fight Nick Diaz in six weeks at 170. I said, ‘Yeah, I don’t care.’ I fought him in his hometown, on his turf, in his weight class. And you know the outcome. You can’t leave it to the judges, right?

“I’m just ready. It kind of sucks being on the sidelines – but it’s kind of fun, being on vacation. But I’ve still got to pay the bills and fight.”

Noons said the sting of his loss to Diaz will hopefully make him a better fight. Especially since it was to a heated rival whom he had beaten to win the EliteXC lightweight title in November 2007, when Diaz’s cuts were too bad to continue into the second round.

“It always hurts when you lose,” Noons said. “You put in all that time, all that effort with your team. It’s always tough to take a loss. But that’s what makes really good fighters – everybody wants to see somebody rise from the bottom back up top. If you can do that, that’s pretty good. I’ve gotta dust myself off and try to get better, win some more fights and try to get up there again.”

Noons’ loss to Diaz snapped a six-fight winning streak. Masvidal beat Billy Evangelista at Strikeforce’s March show in Columbus, Ohio, but has not won two straight since 2009.

Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum takes place Saturday in Dallas. The main card, featuring heavyweight tournament bouts between champion Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum, and Josh Barnett vs. Brett Rogers, airs live on Showtime at 10 p.m. Eastern. The prelims air live on HDNet at 8 p.m. Eastern.

 

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KJ NoonsIt’s perhaps the most common refrain in sports: “I’m not looking past (insert opponent here).”

But KJ Noons has a slightly different take on the adage that nearly all title contenders wind up saying at one point or another. And it just might make sense.

“Of course I’m looking past (Jorge Masvidal),” Noons told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of “The MMA Hour,” “because I want a title shot.”

Noons fights Masvidal on Saturday in what Strikeforce has deemed a No. 1 contenders fight for the lightweight belt held by Gilbert Melendez. It will be Noons’ first fight since a welterweight title fight loss to Nick Diaz last October.

Noons (10-3, 2-1 Strikeforce) and Masvidal (21-6, 3-0 Strikeforce) were slated for the preliminary card of Strikeforce’s show at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, which features the next two quarterfinal fights in the promotion’s heavyweight tournament on the main card. But when Gina Carano had to pull out of her return last week, Noons-Masvidal was bumped up for the Showtime audience instead of a prelim card that will air live on HDNet.


And Noons told Helwani he’s put in more work for this fight than he did for his title shot with Diaz, which saw him go up a weight class on relatively short notice.

“He’s definitely top notch, and I think he makes for an exciting fight,” Noons said. “This has been probably the hardest camp I’ve ever had to train for, this fight. This is actually harder than the Diaz fight. I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older, or we’re trying to get things more fine tuned.”

With a wedding to his longtime girlfriend looming in the fall, Noons said he would love to make quick work of Masvidal to get his shot at Melendez, then get right back in there with the champion.

“I heard there’s rumors Gilbert wants to fight in August,” Noons said. “I’ve never trained so hard. Once I get my hand raised, I would love to get one more fight before I tie the knot.”

With a layoff of more than eight months, Noons told MMA Fighting earlier this month in Las Vegas that he was itching to get back in the cage. Noons fought four times in 2010 going 3-1, but the Masvidal fight will be his first in 2011 – making this his longest layoff in four years.

And even though he said he’s willing to go back to 170 pounds if the right fight is there, saying he just wants to put on exciting fights, Noons believes 155 is where he’s supposed to be.

“This is definitely my weight class,” Noons told MMA Fighting in Las Vegas. “I was supposed to fight for a title at 155 before the Nick Diaz fight, but they asked me if I wanted to fight Nick Diaz in six weeks at 170. I said, ‘Yeah, I don’t care.’ I fought him in his hometown, on his turf, in his weight class. And you know the outcome. You can’t leave it to the judges, right?

“I’m just ready. It kind of sucks being on the sidelines – but it’s kind of fun, being on vacation. But I’ve still got to pay the bills and fight.”

Noons said the sting of his loss to Diaz will hopefully make him a better fight. Especially since it was to a heated rival whom he had beaten to win the EliteXC lightweight title in November 2007, when Diaz’s cuts were too bad to continue into the second round.

“It always hurts when you lose,” Noons said. “You put in all that time, all that effort with your team. It’s always tough to take a loss. But that’s what makes really good fighters – everybody wants to see somebody rise from the bottom back up top. If you can do that, that’s pretty good. I’ve gotta dust myself off and try to get better, win some more fights and try to get up there again.”

Noons’ loss to Diaz snapped a six-fight winning streak. Masvidal beat Billy Evangelista at Strikeforce’s March show in Columbus, Ohio, but has not won two straight since 2009.

Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum takes place Saturday in Dallas. The main card, featuring heavyweight tournament bouts between champion Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum, and Josh Barnett vs. Brett Rogers, airs live on Showtime at 10 p.m. Eastern. The prelims air live on HDNet at 8 p.m. Eastern.

 

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Georges St-Pierre Versus Nick Diaz: Ride the Hype, but Cross Your Fingers

Every MMA fan will watch Georges St-Pierre versus Nick Diaz on Oct. 29 this year—from the opposing camps of those in favor or disfavor, each expecting eventual justification for his biased point of view.Again, the disagreement could be summarized…

Every MMA fan will watch Georges St-Pierre versus Nick Diaz on Oct. 29 this year—from the opposing camps of those in favor or disfavor, each expecting eventual justification for his biased point of view.

Again, the disagreement could be summarized into these two polarities:

“Yes, it’s a UFC champion vs. Strikeforce champion event, and Diaz poses a real threat and will take the bore out of GSP.”

“No, Diaz is a ‘paper champion’ and must earn more credibility by beating worthier opponents, before facing the pound-for-pound contender GSP.”

There may be other opinion strands flowing and entangling in this debate, but the above contradictory statements basically sum them up.

Okay, maybe fans will watch with different levels of enthusiasm.

Some will take the hype for a joy ride while others will shrug it off as just another walk in the MMA park.

Still, I’m confident every MMA fan worth his salt will watch this fight.

Maybe you’ll indulge in it, with eyes and mouth wide open and drooling, over a fight that may last inside the first five minutes or persist till the 25th.

Or, maybe you’ll watch with a smirk on your face in front of the TV set, while doing something else of more import on that precious Saturday night.

Whatever the case, you’ll watch and wait to finally exclaim, “See, my like-minded intelligent brothers and I were right all along.”

And, if you’re just someone who’s sitting idly somewhere along The Great Divide separating the gabbing loggerheads, then you’ll watch because you love this sport or just for the hell of it.

But before anything else (and forgive me for sounding like a party pooper), here’s a factual and grim reminder on why we should pray and cross our fingers for that fight to actualize, courtesy of Trent Reinsmith:

Here are fights that had to be scrapped as of late:

UFC 130: Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard—both fighters injured

Cody McKenzie vs Bart Palaszewski—both fighters injured

Brad Pickett forced to withdraw from bout with Miguel Torres

TUF Season 13 Finale: Jonathan Brookins forced to withdraw from bout with Jeremy Stephens

UFC 131: Brock Lesnar forced to withdraw from fight with Junior dos Santos

Court McGee forced to withdraw from fight against Jesse Bongfeldt

Rani Yahya forced to withdraw from fight against Dustin Poirier

Anthony Perosh forced to withdraw from fight against Krzysztof Soszynski

Mac Danzig forced to withdraw from his fight against Donald Cerrone

UFC Live: Martin Kampmann forced to withdraw from his fight against John Howard

Anthony Johnson forced to withdraw from his fight against Nathan Marquardt

UFC 132: BJ Penn vs. Jon Fitch—both forced off card

Evan Dunham forced to withdraw from his fight against George Sotiropoulos

Cub Swanson forced to withdraw from his fight against Erik Koch

Who’s next?

In life, crazy things happen. In MMA, crazier things happen or don’t happen.

Another thing is, after his major screw-up of a (mis)calculation, the preacher now claims that the world will really, really end this October 21.

Naah, the senior guy had too much coffee or something stronger.

Whatever it was, it made him too addled and amnesiac, forgetting or missing the part where the book says the world will end only after “GSP Vs. Anderson Silva.”

In other words, the world may not end at all.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 131 Press Conference Recap: Five-Round Non-Title Fights Added, Flyweights Coming, Diaz Vacating Strikeforce Belt + Much More

(Dana White runs down some current events with Ariel Helwani following the press conference. Props: MMAFighting)

The UFC hosted a press conference in Vancouver yesterday in advance of UFC 131, but the most interesting announcements had nothing to do with Saturday’s “Dos Santos vs. Carwin” event. Here’s a recap…

Five-round non-title fights: UFC president Dana White announced that the UFC will make non-title main event fights five rounds from now on; previously, only title fights were worthy of the five-round distinction. The rule doesn’t apply to non-title main events that are already booked — Dos Santos vs. Carwin, or Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis at UFC 133, for example — but it will apply to every non-title main event signed in the future, even for UFC Fight Night and UFC Live events.

Flyweight division in the works: According to White, the UFC will be adding a 125-pound division “really soon,” possibly by the end of 2011. He expected that some of the UFC’s current bantamweights would make the drop.


(Dana White runs down some current events with Ariel Helwani following the press conference. Props: MMAFighting)

The UFC hosted a press conference in Vancouver yesterday in advance of UFC 131, but the most interesting announcements had nothing to do with Saturday’s “Dos Santos vs. Carwin” event. Here’s a recap…

Five-round non-title fights: UFC president Dana White announced that the UFC will make non-title main event fights five rounds from now on; previously, only title fights were worthy of the five-round distinction. The rule doesn’t apply to non-title main events that are already booked — Dos Santos vs. Carwin, or Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis at UFC 133, for example — but it will apply to every non-title main event signed in the future, even for UFC Fight Night and UFC Live events.

Flyweight division in the works: According to White, the UFC will be adding a 125-pound division “really soon,” possibly by the end of 2011. He expected that some of the UFC’s current bantamweights would make the drop.

Nick Diaz to vacate Strikeforce welterweight title: When Diaz returns to the UFC to challenge Georges St. Pierre for GSP’s welterweight title in October, he’ll be leaving his own belt behind. Said DW: ”[Diaz] will give up his Strikeforce title. He will come in and fight Georges St-Pierre, two guys will fight for the vacant belt in Strikeforce and we’ll go from there.”

Jon Jones vs. Quinton Jackson slated for September: The rumored light-heavyweight title scrap between Bones and Rampage will take place at UFC 135 (September 24, Denver), pending medical clearance for Jones’s hand. Diego Sanchez vs. Matt Hughes is also expected for that event.

UFC still looking at China, Sweden for future events: Though the U.K. is getting shut out this year, Dana White announced that he hopes to bring the promotion to China “within the next 18 months.” The UFC also has plans for an event in Sweden sometime after 2011.

TUF 14 hype-up of the day: “The fights to get into the house happened Tuesday,” White said. “I’m going to figure out a way to make sure every one of those fights airs on TV. The best fights ever in the history of ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’…There’s some nasty guys on this season. Just the show open is better than the entire last season’s fights.”

UFC 131 Preview: White Says "Diaz Will Vacate Title and Joe Silva Is a D*ck"

The UFC held it’s pre-fight press conference this afternoon at Robson Square, and president Dana White was on hand to pontificate about various UFC and mixed martial arts topics. Bleacher Report MMA was there and here is a recap of some of the comments…

The UFC held it’s pre-fight press conference this afternoon at Robson Square, and president Dana White was on hand to pontificate about various UFC and mixed martial arts topics. Bleacher Report MMA was there and here is a recap of some of the comments from White.

On the current negotiations for a major television contract, and a future UFCTV:

“We’re negotiating with all the networks. That’s it. People think that we’re the one organization that can pull it off, I don’t know if that’s true.”

On the ongoing difficulties getting MMA sanctioned in the state of New York:

“I’m never confident about New York. Obviously this run was a little better we had more support than we did the last time so you know we’ll see. Whatever happens, happens. I know the unions were there battling us that day literally in the hall battling us and we still had a great vote. It’s New York politics, man, New York politics.”

On Diaz fighting GSP and conflicts with Showtime:

“We’re trying to figure this thing out. First of all we have a deal with Showtime and we’re gonna honor that deal with Showtime. Showtime has worked with us really good. I can’t believe you guys are gonna hear me say some positive Showtime stuff right now, but to be honest, they have been great with us. With the Diaz fight people were screaming for it, and we went and talked to Showtime and they were cool with it.”

What about the Strikeforce title?

“Diaz will give up the Strikeforce title and come in and fight GSP for the UFC title, and two guys will fight for the vacant belt and then we’ll go from there. No we have not decided who those two will be.”

Is Nick Diaz different this time around with the UFC. Has he learned to play the game?

“His attitude is a lot different this time around, I had a sit down talk with him and we’ll see how that went. That’s the million-dollar question, my friend.”

White also announced that the UFC is adding a 125-pound flyweight division because they need more fights and fighters, most of whom will come from places like Asia and Mexico, as they dominate that weight class.

I am looking forward to the card on Saturday night, but I am a little disappointed at where one of our Canadian fighters, Krzystof Soszynski is placed on the card. I asked him about it and got a typical Dana White response.

“Joe Silva is a dick.” Just the answer I was looking for, ending the presser with a bang. 

Obviously, he said he was joking, but personally, I’m not so sure.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things UFC 131, including the latest UFC 131 results, fight card analysis, UFC 131 news and live reaction from Vancouver.

Dwight Wakabayashi is a Feature Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA (also a Correspondent for MMACanada.net).

Catch him on Twitter @wakafightermma.

 

 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Nick Diaz Will Vacate Title, but Other Strikeforce Questions Still Unanswered

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, NewsVANCOUVER, British Columbia – It’s amazing how much can change in the MMA world in just a few short months. Take, for instance, UFC president Dana White’s stance on both Strikeforce and its TV partner, Showtime.

Befo…

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia – It’s amazing how much can change in the MMA world in just a few short months. Take, for instance, UFC president Dana White’s stance on both Strikeforce and its TV partner, Showtime.

Before Zuffa bought Strikeforce, White rarely missed a chance to rip on both his largest competitor and its premium cable home. But now? Even White is a little surprised at the words coming out of his mouth.

“Showtime has worked with us really good,” White told reporters following the UFC 131 pre-fight press conference on Thursday. “I can’t believe you guys are going to hear me say some positive Showtime stuff right now, but to be honest, and no joking, they’ve been great with us. We’ve worked together very well and we’ll see what happens.”

That doesn’t mean the situation isn’t sticky at times, however. White explained how the UFC made a deal with Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz to come to the UFC and face Georges St. Pierre – a bout he was spurred to sign due to overwhelming fan request for it, White explained.

The move means that Diaz will vacate his Strikeforce title to fight for GSP’s UFC belt, White said, leaving the Strikeforce strap behind for two as-of-yet unnamed fighters to compete for.

“He will give up the title. He will give up his Strikeforce title. He will come in and fight Georges St. Pierre. Two guys will fight for the vacant belt in Strikeforce, and then we’ll go from there,” White said.

“[Diaz] has a UFC contract now. …If things didn’t go well, there’d be no problem with him fighting over in Strikeforce. He’d still make the same money. It’s the same company. It’s not like we’d say, ‘Now you’re going to Strikeforce and you got to do this.’ Diaz is stepping up. He’s going to take this big fight with Georges St. Pierre. We always make it right with the guys, so we’ll figure it out.”

White seemed upbeat about his recent meeting with Diaz, saying the Stockton, Calif. fighter has “a completely different attitude than he used to have when he was in the UFC.”

But has he finally learned, as White long said he’d have to, how to “play the game”?

“That is the million-dollar question,” White said.

But just because Diaz got shuffled into a UFC title fight relatively quickly, it doesn’t mean all Strikeforce fighters should expect a similar opportunity. White said he wants to “respect the deal that we have with [Showtime]” and not pick Strikeforce clean of all its best talent.

In the end, he said, it’s “ninety-nine percent economics.”

“We want to make this thing work for them and us. And the big question with Strikeforce is, can we make this thing work on Showtime so that we don’t get murdered and lose a bunch of money?”

For now, White and the UFC seem to be taking it one step at a time when it comes to Strikeforce issues. When asked several times and in several different ways what he plans to do with the eventual winner of Strikeforce’s heavyweight Grand Prix, White pleaded ignorance, explaining that they had yet to decide on a course of action.

“I have no clue,” he said during Thursday’s press conference. “I don’t know what we’re doing with that. We’ll see what happens.”

White clarified that, at least in his eyes, the winner of the Strikeforce tournament would be “the best heavyweight in Strikeforce,” but it wouldn’t necessarily mean an immediate pass into the UFC, no matter how much people might love to see that.

“I’m glad that fans are excited about this stuff,” White told reporters. “Part of being a fight fan is getting excited about fights. The fact that fans get excited about fights and media get excited about fights and want to know what’s going to happen next, I love it. It’s good stuff. It’s just that the answer is: I don’t know. If I knew, I’d tell you. We’re trying to figure this thing out.”

 

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Behold: Keyboard Warriors #1

Potato Nation, sometimes it’s hard to entertain you. Frankly, there are some weeks we hope that War Machine stabs a dude during pre-release just because there’s no real news. There’s only so many ridiculous KO videos to go around, you know?

That is not, however, the reason you’ll find us posting an entertainment piece that is (mostly) fiction. Nope, that’s got nothing to do with it.

Truth is, one of you suggested we try our hand at an MMA version of “The Dugout” over on WithLeather. If you dig sports in general, chances are you’ve seen some of their work. If not, allow us to turn you on.

Long story short, we reached out to Brandon Stroud over there, and offered to exchange links if he would let us play with his toys. He’s a cool guy, so we went to work. Check out WithLeather, play nice, and, if you’re interested, come on in for the first mega-sized edition of CagePotato’s new exclusive feature: Keyboard Warriors.

Special thanks to Brandon and justchris/lenny/something. Enjoy!

[RX]

Potato Nation, sometimes it’s hard to entertain you.  Frankly, there are some weeks we hope that War Machine stabs a dude during pre-release just because there’s no real news.  There’s only so many ridiculous KO videos to go around, you know?

That is not, however, the reason you’ll find us posting an entertainment piece that is (mostly) fiction. Nope, that’s got nothing to do with it.

Truth is, one of you suggested we try our hand at an MMA version of “The Dugout” over on WithLeather.  If you dig sports in general, chances are you’ve seen some of their work.  If not, allow us to turn you on.

Long story short, we reached out to Brandon Stroud over there, and offered to exchange links if he would let us play with his toys.  He’s a cool guy, so we went to work.  Check out WithLeather, play nice, and, if you’re interested, come on in for the first mega-sized edition of CagePotato’s new exclusive feature:  Keyboard Warriors.

Special thanks to Brandon and justchris/lenny/something.  Enjoy!

[RX]