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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief K.J. Noons, the former EliteXC Lightweight Champion, has been out of MMA action since last summer as he's concentrated on boxing. He may be returning to the MMA before the year's out, however, as he indicated as much in an interview on MMAWeekly Radio.
Noons stated he was in talks with Strikeforce's Scott Coker, and that "we're just talking and just trying to see, and he's real flexible and he's willing to work with me." Noons has a boxing match scheduled for August 22nd, and he said he's "going to gear up and get ready for MMA for a couple months and fight somebody by the end of the year. I'm ready."
Noons last competed in MMA in a :48 second knockout of Yves Edwards in his first and only EliteXC Lightweight Title defense, a belt he won after a doctor's stoppage due to cuts against current Strikeforce catchweight specialist Nick Diaz.
A rematch between the two was long desired by Diaz, but never came to fruition. As Noons says, "I've never turned down the fight, it was just turning down getting paid three times less money than him. So if that's something that people want to see, I'm just looking to fight good fights that people want to watch. That's definitely one of the fights that's out there for me."
So nothing is yet set for a return, but Noons seems ready for late this year.
Penick's Analysis: Noons has been accused of being a coward and trying to duck Diaz since last year when EliteXC wanted to put the fight together. They went so far as to strip Noons of his title due to his refusal to accept a bout with Diaz for their ill-fated October 4th event. In Noon's defense, with him holding a victory over Diaz already and being their Champion, the pay disparity between the two was a ridiculous amount and not indicative of his stature as Champ. On the flip side, Diaz is clearly the more marketable fighter and has earned his paydays based on that for Strikeforce, and Noons was likely overestimating what he was bringing to the table from a money making aspect.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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