Nick Diaz breaks KJ Noons' Jaw in title defense
By: Brian Lopez-Benchimol Posted On: October 10, 2010 at 3:11pm
Strikeforce delivered once again. The San Jose based promotion traveled back to the HP Pavillion, with home town favorite Josh “The Punk” Thomson in action, alongside fellow Californian, Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz.
The Stockton native was victorious in his first title defense when he was pitted against rival KJ Noons–the last man to defeat Diaz, with a rivalry brewing since their original encounter in 2007 under the now defunct Elite XC banner.
Though the Hawaiian striker, Noons, was competitive throughout the 5-round-affair, he was on the losing side of a unanimous decision, which was widely decided by Nick’s reach advantage. Dropping Noons early in the first round, it looked like Diaz had the bout all but sealed, however, Noons battled back, even after breaking his jaw in the same round, and his hand in the second.
“I just got the X-rays. I think my hand… well, I know my hand is broke”, said Noons during the post-fight press conference. “I broke it I think in the second round. My jaw is broke. I broke it in the first round. He’s a soldier. He beat me, from the judges point of view.”
While it’s uncertain of a time frame when Noons will return, he has earned a new level of respect amongst his peers and fans alike. The smaller man in the cage, Noons has the heart to battle through adversity, and the decision loss is not indicative of how close the fight was. Most publications have Diaz edging KJ three rounds to two, throughout the five-round affair.
So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the fight, considering the circumstances? Would you like to see a rubber match between Noons and Diaz in the future? Sound off in the comment section below.
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Comments
diaz and noons 3 this time diaz goes downnnnnnnnnnnnn
I dont see how someone who lands 310 strikes can lose to someone who only landed 160 somethin…
According to CompuStrike, there was some sort of glitch that made it seem like Noons landed more shots. The following correction is on their homepage: “We regret to announce that after reviewing the stats, we found a glitch in our system that incorrectly counted the number of Total Arm Strikes Landed for Noons. We deeply regret this glitch and assure that it will not happen again. The correct numbers are in the link below.”
The new numbers show Diaz beating Noons in total strikes landed (194 to 155) and overall percentage of strikes landed (44% to 25%).
I thought that there was something going on with the compustrike numbers! Both these guys threw many blows; but After watching the fight again, Ive definitely found a great deal of respect for KJ Noons. Although a big fan of Diaz, I also saw the fight closer than the judges; but I had Diaz winning 3 rounds to 2.
What really caught me off guard was the fact that Diaz was willing to take a notably differrent approach to this fight. He fought from the orthodox stance for almost the entirety of the fight. KJ had said that Nick could’nt fight going backwards, & Diaz proved that to be false with his ability to effectively counter while on his heels! I had this fight as being the most entertaing matchup I’ve seen this year.
Noons took this loss like a man, and gained another fan in that process! That boy has got some Heart!
@Oliver Saenz
@Oliver Saenz
Looks like we were both wrong in our predictions! I had Noons going down to punches towards the end of the second, and Noons ended up taking that round on my card. You had Noons getting stopped in the third via punches. I don’ know about you Saenz; but I’m glad I was witness to this five round war!
It was like watching a differrent version of Diaz; before,during and after the fight. Never have I seen him so calm & composed. I was pleasantly surprised not to see him fly off the handle throughout this entire affair! Props to Nick for growing up a little.
Come on now guys, I know Diaz plays the role and is the guy you love to hate but get real, he won all but the second round. Noons does not belong in MMA much less boxing. Diaz was forced to fight Noons fight- at what was supposed to give the advantage to Noons but still beat him in what was strictly a stand up fight. Miletich was also way off, either he was watching another fight or just partial when he said that he thought it was a tie. Please…
Oh, and no reason to watch a third fight- maybe if noons realizes hes in the MMA arena. But we all know who will really win on the ground as well. So what would be the point?
@mike perryman
It seems like I have a horrible sense of predicting MMA fights, but I still love to do them. They’re just so much fun.
What I thought would happen did happen, except for the finish. Diaz peppered Noons and made him get careless, and then Diaz started opening up with big counter-punches and really won it four rounds to one. I’m very happy Diaz won that fight.
I don’t get the hate for Noons, though. He put on a great performance, I think we’ll see Noons/Diaz 3 in 2011, 2012 at the very latest, if Noons keeps winning.
@Oliver Saenz
I detested Noons before this matchup. The comments he made about Diaz being able to remember who he is now every time he looks in the mirror were pretty low. He did however show a true fighters heart in this match. I figured Diaz would keep it standing, & I thought KJ would wilt under the pressure; but he did’nt & he gained me as a fan in the process! I have more respect for Noons in the loss than I ever would have if he had won another ez matchup with Nick. And coming from me that’s alot! I detested that man for the past 3 years! I can’t wait to see what these two bring to the table in the rubber match!
@mike perryman
That’s just one of the reasons I love this sport so much. What a difference a few or even one great performance/s can make. I used to absolutely detest both Diaz brothers, just loathe them, but now I’d consider myself a fan of Nick with Nate close behind. I too can’t wait to see what’s next when the rivalry gets a third chapter.
@Gabriel
I’d love to see Nick school this guy on the ground! Diaz is my favorite fighter to date & has been for years now-win or lose! It was a close fight with a seperate debate as to who bested who in each round individually; but overall, I gave the fight to Diaz the five times I’ve seen it since Saturday night!
I just can’t believe Noons fought with a broken jaw. That’scrazy. I’d like to see him earn another shot down the line. That way Diaz settles it for good.
Looks like many feel the same. In my opinion Noons is simply overrated. He only got lucky on the first win- although he did look better in that fight. I think Diaz took him lightly back then but then I still cant believe Diaz was able to make a “pro’ boxer look bad this time. Noons cant make up his mind it seems- boxing or mma but he obviously does not belong in the same class as Diaz. Have to say he did put up a fight. I myself didnt like the booing. I think those booing probably dont understand the sport. One last thing regarding the remark by Perryman about Diaz looking in the mirror. I agree. Noons is a fool if he thinks he did that to Diaz. Diaz has always cut that way and its not because of Noons, he just opens up easily. He even had surgery and it helped but he still cuts easily.
@Gabriel
I agree completely! Diaz is on a totally higher level than Noons & most other fighters in general. But I think Diaz needed this match with Noons to help catapult him into the spotlight. I think he earned alot of respect from many people-both inside and out of the MMA world. Respect I think he’s deserved for a long time coming. His bad boy reputation is probably the reason it has taken him longer to reach this summit than many others in half the time with lesser skillsets. But he did it his way, on his terms, and in his own time. I don’t see this changing anytime soon!