Elite XC Lightweight Champion KJ Noons was a guest on HDNet's "Inside MMA" yesterday, adding yet another chapter to the back and forth war of words between himself and his nemesis, Nick Diaz.
By now it's common knowledge that there is no love lost between these two.
Noons and Diaz originally fought last November for the right to become the first-ever Elite XC lightweight champion. Noons won the match fight after a ringside doctor deemed the cuts around both of Diaz's eyes were too severe for the fight to go on. Diaz obviously disagreed with the decision and he's been clamoring for another shot at Noons ever since.
When asked by Kenny Rice if there was going to be a rematch, the champ said this:
"I was thinking about this earlier. Does he deserve a rematch? No. He's not the number one contender. I want to fight other guys out there. Do people want to see the rematch? Of course. What it boils down to is, I got to take care of myself, and money talks. I think a lot of people forget what happened the first time. I think a lot of people, they want to see the rematch, but I destroyed this guy in five minutes. And I was trained to do five rounds, five minutes."
UFC heavyweight, Justin McCully, who was also a guest on the program interjected by mentioning the scar tissue on Diaz's face. Noons replied with this:
"A lot of people say scar tissue, but this guy's not a professional boxer. He hasn't had a lot of pro fights. He hasn't taken a lot of damage to his face, so I don't know where they come up with all this scar tissue."
Noons then brought out a picture of Diaz's face after their fight in November. He asked the camera to zoom in so everyone at home could get a good look at it, and said this:
"You see this face right here? Ok, this is the first time. See this guy's face? This took five minutes. My nickname is KJ. I'm gonna do a little trash talking right now for you guys, make it a little fun. My nickname is KJ. The first show, they came up with "KO Artist." Then they came up with "King Karl" for the last one. So, if we're going to meet in a match again, I think I'm going to be called "The Artist" because this right here, this is a masterpiece, and I painted this. You see this? This is a masterpiece. So round two? Sure, let's go."
There was speculation the rematch would be on July 26, in Stockton, Calif., at "Unfinished Business," but for whatever reason the plans for the bout fell through. Diaz will remain on the card and face Thomas "Wildman" Denny.
It's unclear what Noons' plans are for the immediate future. In an interview right here with MMAmania.com, he stated his intentions to go back into boxing at some point, but he also mentioned his contract with Elite XC called for him to defend his title three times this year. He's got one out of the way with a successful defense against Yves Edwards.
The question now is ... when is the next one? Time will tell.
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