"I knew what was out there and I wanted to commit to Strikeforce. They have a lot of shows coming up and a lot of good things going for them and I have a past with Scott Coker. I fought for him as a teenager 11 years ago when we were doing Muay Thai kickboxing and it's so cool to see him become so successful. Who would have thought it would have become so big? Now today it's one of the biggest promotions out there on Showtime and CBS and that's what I'm ready for. If they want to give me a number one contender or champion or whatever they think is going to be best, I’m training and ready to fight. I'll let my performances speak for themselves. I know Nick Diaz is somewhere in my future but right now my goal is to become the lightweight champion, put on great fights and hopefully become a successful two sport athlete and win a title in two sports."
Former Elite XC lightweight champion and professional boxer KJ Noons checks in with MMAmania.com prior to the Dec. 19 "Evolution" event from the San Jose-based Strikeforce promotion. Noons competed five times as a boxer in 2009 racking up an impressive 4-1 record before agreeing to a return to mixed martial arts under the Strikeforce banner. The San Diego native will be paying close attention to the outcome of Saturday's Thomson vs. Melendez main event as he awaits his debut opponent for a 2010 card -- but also knows a rematch with Nick Diaz is somewhere in his future. Can "King Karl" continue to be a force in the world of cage fighting? Or has the "Evolution" of MMA left him running to catch up?
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