Noons and his camp are at odds with EliteXC, title could be stripped

speeds · Aug 21, 2008

It seems that KJ Noons will not accept a title defense against Nick Diaz. Jared Shaw of EliteXC has been in contact with Noons' camp but the two sides are far apart. Noons and his manager (Mark Dion) do not think Nick Diaz is the number one contender. EliteXC has not ruled out stripping Noons of the title if he refuses to fight Diaz. It would be a shame, but a necessity.

Why Noons doesn't want to be in a title fight on CBS is beyond me. I don't think he realizes that casual MMA fans don't know him by name. He is in no position to pull a power play at this point in his career, especially alongside a manager who is, by all accounts, a nutcase.

Celtic Fan · Aug 22, 2008

IMO it's the agent who's screwing up Noons career.. that or Noons thinks he has the leverage to dictate who he fights for the belt... someone better tell him he's not Tito Ortiz.

Jared Shaw said Noons is in risk of ruining his career.

It will be the biggest mismanagement of an athlete’s career you will ever see.
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One of the writers at 5oz of pain who knows Noons from several interviews thinks we're not getting the whole story. He mentioned that Noons has always been accessible and open and the silence from his camp is extremely peculiar.

Celtic Fan · Aug 22, 2008

Here's Noons manager's reply... get the popcorn out kiddies!
http://www.cagepotato.com/2008/08/21/kj-noons-manager-tells-elite-xc-what-they-can-do-with-their-deadline/#more-2376

“The update on [the deadline] is nothing is going to happen with it,” Dion said. “That’s what’s going to happen with that. I don’t care about how many threats [Shaw] wants to pull. We’ll be doing a press conference if EliteXC doesn’t see the light here pretty soon and if Shaw doesn’t stop talking [expletive].”

“As far as Nick Diaz, he’s not the No. 1 contender out there,” Dion said. “To [EliteXC] he is. He’s the number one (for getting) eyeballs to (watch) them. They’re pushing on eyeballs versus a career move for a champion like KJ. KJ is really not the one who gets anything out of the fight. Diaz does and so does ProElite.”

“We’ll do a press conference to discuss everything,” Dion said. “But there’s nothing in it for KJ unless [EliteXC] finally wakes up a little bit. That’s why we’ll have a press conference. I don’t like to talk and beat a company that’s already beat down. I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt. Hopefully they’ll see the light.”

Looks like the relationship between KJ Noons/Mark Dion and Elite XC/Jared Shaw just went from unfriendly to straight-up hostile. Dion just had to go and mention that Pro Elite is struggling. That’s like bringing someone’s mother into the argument. Now this thing is personal.

The point about Diaz not being a number one contender, but rather simply Elite XC’s number one contender is an interesting one. You could argue that Noons isn’t really a lightweight champ, but rather just Elite XC’s lightweight champ, though then you’d just be stating the obvious. So who does Dion think should get the shot?

“I would think Eddie Alvarez is the No. 1 contender,” Dion said. “He’s definitely ranked higher than Nick Diaz. KJ already beat Nick Diaz.”

When told that Alvarez was unavailable to fight because he’s taking time off to get married, Dion responded, “that’s not our problem…People get married in five or 10 minutes.”

Clearly, Mark Dion is not only a master negotiator, but also a totally sweet dude. People do get married in five or ten minutes. That’s a fact. So what now, Elite XC?

At this point, some of you are probably wondering, isn’t this brash Mark Dion character the same guy who was involved in the Brandon Vera-UFC contract debacle? The answer is yes, but don’t bring that up unless you’ve got a minute:

“Look at Brandon Vera,” Dion said. “He had a long layoff, but he’s making more money than the No. 1 ranked [expletive] fighter in the world, Anderson Silva — or the same amount.

“And now Anderson Silva is getting Bud Light sponsorships from (UFC President) Dana (White) handed down to him. He’s getting to fight at 205 (pounds). He’s kind of telling them what he wants to do. Why? Because you got people like Brandon Vera, who’s on a losing streak and not performing, making more money than the most valuable guy.

“Who do you think negotiated that [expletive] contract a year and a half ago? And if you look at my Post-it, the one I negotiated was a $7 million deal for four years. It’s nothing close to [$100,000] and [$100,000] (as a win bonus). As far as trying to bring in the Mark Dion negatives and stuff, good luck. Show me any negatives on it. And that’s just a pitch [EliteXC] can use. But hey, I know my [expletive]. I’ve been around this sport a long, long time.”
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typical bluster from another scummy agent/manager.. I really think these types are one step above lawyers on the douchebag scale.. and that's not a compliment.

DennisRodman · Aug 22, 2008

I haven't seen much of KJ Noons, but I think he is definitely underestimating Nick Diaz. He is a good quality opponent at his weight class and I'm guessing Noons just doesn't think Diaz will get him the fame he wants, while he will have a hard fight and a good chance of losing.

Celtic Fan · Aug 23, 2008

Diaz has a big enough of a name, especially after beating Takanori Gomi. I'm not sure what his camp is thinking. This is a chance to fight live on CBS.. that's a decent way to make a name for yourself. And saying Eddie Alvarez should be the #1 guy is asking to get your ass handed to you.

It's a power play for more money is all I can think of.

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Noons and his camp are at odds with EliteXC, title could be stripped

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Noons and his camp are at odds with EliteXC, title could be stripped

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