Strikefore "Diaz vs. Noons 2" Weigh-In Results: Final Obstacles Cleared, Collision Courses Set

We’re now more or less twenty-four hours away from the second chapter in one of the more bitter rivalries in recent history. Tomorrow the San Diego-based strikeforce promotion will hold its “Diaz vs. Noons 2” event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. A four-fight main card is set to air live on the Showtime network, and will be headlined by Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz facing the man who previously beat him for the now-nonexistent EliteXC Lightweight Championship, feared striker KJ Noons. Today Strikeforce held the official weigh-ins for the event, and here are the full results (courtesy of Sherdog).

Nick Diaz (169.5) vs. K.J. Noons (169), Sarah Kaufman (134.25) vs. Marloes Coenen (134), Tyron Woodley (170.5) vs. Andre Galvao (170.5), Josh Thomson (155.25) vs. Gesias Cavalcante (155.75) Josh McDonald (179) vs. Ron Keslar (180), James Terry (170) vs. David Marshall (169.5), Jess Bouscal (154.25) vs. Luis Mendoza (155), Steve Dickey (239.5) vs. Justin Willis (271), Justin Bronson (219) vs. Robert Johnson (226), Jonathan Chaplin (183.75) vs. Ben Ernest (183), Jared Hess (169.5) vs. Eric Faria (168.25), Alan Francis Perez (152) vs. Johnathan Del Rosario (156.5), and David Blanco (144.75) vs. Christian Buron (142.75).

According to the Sherdog report, the overweight Johnathan Del Rosario has two hours to drop half a pound.

Overall, I’m really looking forward to this show. I’ve talked a lot about my feelings on Nick Diaz, how I’ve grown to grudgingly accept him and even feel the first inklings of outright fandom now that he’s emerged as one of the best welterweights in Strikeforce and arguably in MMA in general. But KJ Noons is a fantastic test and should once and for all prove that Diaz is a best-in-the-world talent. And while Diaz vs. Noons 2 has such a rich history and such a bitter rivalry behind it that I’d tune in to Strikeforce only to see this one fight, I have to say that I’m liking the other main card fights as well.

In particular, I’m looking forward to the Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight (135-pound) Championship match between champion Sarah Kaufman and challenger Marloes Coenen. I vocally stated my displeasure concerning Coenen getting a championship opportunity when she’s coming off of a major loss that was also a championship opportunity, but in the end I want to support Strikeforce’s female division in any way I can, and that includes tuning in to watch this match-up. I’ve found that the female competition on major MMA cards like these do a great job at nearly stealing or outright stealing the show, and this does have potential to be a competitive match-up.

This may be a Showtime event through and through, but I think Diaz/Noons 2 in and of itself would have been a more-than-welcome addition to a big-time CBS show. The event as a whole isn’t the best or most star-studded event the fledgling Strikeforce promotion has ever held, but it does look solid top-to-bottom and it does boast some of Strikeforce’s biggest stars. I can say with certainty that I’ll be tuning in to see this one. And that’s it on my end, fans and friends. Now that we’re closer than ever, what do you think of Strikeforce’s “Diaz vs. Noons 2” event?