Elite XC Lightweight Champion KJ Noons today responded to the recent allegations that he is ducking a rematch with Nick Diaz in an email to BloodyElbow.com and several other outlets. In the long email, the champ gives his side of the story and goes into detail about the behind the scenes stuff that is keeping the fight from happening.
For the most part, Noons’ problem lies with Elite XC and its parent company Pro Elite rather than Nick Diaz. However, KJ does state more than once in the email that there is no love lost for the Cesar Gracie black belt and he’s still clinging to his belief that Diaz is not the number one contender.
In fact, the champ believes Philadelphia native Eddie Alvarez has instead earned that spot.
Regardless, he maintains that he is not in a position to choose his opponent and said he will fight Diaz as long as the compensation is fair.
If you recall an interview with us here at MMAmania.com before his title defense against Yves Edwards in June, Noons stated that he his contract called for him to defend his title two more times this year after a successful defense against Yves.
The champ stated that Elite XC has not made good on that contract because it will only let him fight if he signs a new long-term contract. Noons give specific examples of how the company has not treated him well enough for him to want to sign a long-term contract at this time.
Here’s a snip:
“Consider when Elite XC gives a couple thousand tickets away at their CBS show in Stockton. Elite XC gives me a hard time about comping me one extra ticket for my cousin that helped me train for my fight. I only get four tickets per show. I am the main event in Honolulu, my home town! I did not ask for any tickets for my family and friends and they gave me a hard time about one extra ticket! Or how about when Elite XC brought Diaz into the ring after my last victory in Hawaii to disrespect me and my family.”
He also says the Elite XC has breached his contract on more than one occasion. Here’s another snip:
“$kala (Jared Shaw) disclosed how much I make, which breached the confidentiality clause of the contract. How about when Elite XC honored the contract and my pay to fight Edson Berto went down after I lost my first fight. That was not part of my contract. Or how about the contract Gary Shaw breached by not promoting my boxing career? Gary Shaw only gave me one out of four of the agreed upon fights. I have not boxed for over a year. When I signed with Elite XC, I was promised they would promote both my boxing and MMA careers. I could have signed with another MMA only company, but I wanted to box too. Elite XC doesn’t give me fights or promote me, they ice me. Gary Shaw Productions only gave me one of the agreed upon four fights per the boxing contract.”
The champ also breaks down why he’s fed up with Elite XC financially right here:
“I am the defending world champ, I have been the main event for Elite XC three out of four times on Showtime. In almost two years I have made approximately $83,000? After paying my trainers and managers fee, I have $50,000 thousand. After taxes, probably 30 grand. Divide that by two years for $15,000 thousand a year. Divide by 52 weeks that amounts to approximately $300 a week. I do not know anybody that can survive on that amount of money. My buddies make more money than that in a couple days being a bus boy or bar back. But the straw that broke the camel’s back is they want me to fight Diaz for the second time. Diaz is not the number one contender and they are paying Diaz three times more money than me. Diaz complained after the Stockton fight, he was not paid enough. How do you think that made me feel?”
That certainly doesn’t sound like any way for a promotion to treat their champion. There’s more to the long email, but you get the point. He goes on to say he feels that Elite XC is mistreating him because he ruined its plans to have Nick Diaz as the champ.
It’s easy as a fan to get worked up because we’re not seeing the fight we want to see, but there is obviously a lot more going on behind the scenes than most of us realize. He does, however, state that the Diaz fight will eventually happen, but does not say when.
He also says for now that he’s going to focus on his boxing career:
“I can make more money doing 6 and 8 rounders every other month and make more than I did being the Elite XC defending world champ. At least I will be able to sleep at night and be able to look myself in the mirror everyday. That right there is worth more than $300 bucks a week or fighting a guy I cannot stand for less money than him the second time around.”
Let’s hope Elite XC and Noons can come to an understanding and get this fight on the air. After all, this back and forth between the two sides, this fight has more hype behind it than anything involving Kimbo Slice, including a showdown with Brett Rogers.
For a company with seemingly everything on the line over the next few months the timing of all this either couldn’t be better or couldn’t be worse. I guess time will tell, but for now the saga continues.
75 Comments »
stop being a pussy and just take the fight already!!!
i wouldnt fight under them circumstances neither, i dont like him and think he needs to take the fight, but maybe elite should stepup with some better contracts instead of being dicks
dont understand, if he dislikes diaz so much why WOULDNT he want to fight him? that makes absolutely no sense
because it pisses off diaz more to not fight him
Not to mention that when Diaz beats him, and he will, Diaz will be doing more disrespectful shit talking and bragging than anyone in history.
Just like in the first fight naturalshadow? If I were Noons, I would remind Diaz of the a$$ whoopin I gave him every day!
whether he loses to diaz or not that paycheck just isn’t worth it to go and be there “champion” even the WWE gives champions a bonus and they pick theres
I’m skeptical of everyone involved in this situation. Who’s telling the truth? We all thought Couture was on the up and up til Dana basically proved him to be an idiot/liar. I’m not saying that that is what is happening here, but I’m very curious as to how Elite will respond.
If Noons is telling the truth he’s got solid points… Elite XC should offer KJ a bonus to square things away… even if they don’t, KJ needs to do this fight and win. It’s an opportunity for some of the best recognition he may ever get. What else does KJ have going October 4th that’s better than this?
Just strip this guys already and get it over with!
Go back to boxing, you F’in Pus!
Walk in and tap out.
Completely devalue the belt and make it worthless.
Personally that’s what I would do, but I’m a dick.
LOL… that’s a ridiciously awesome idea!
Jas - That’s brilliant. Seriously. If things were that bad, that would be a huge statement. It would also garner unprecedented media attention afterward.
But it would really screw the fans!
Well allow me to be a dick too. Screw the fans. If KJ is telling the truth (I agree with Chefdaddy, I don’t trust anyone in this whole mess)and Elite is in breach, and not compensating him, then screw the fans. This is a business. When it comes to putting food on my table and taking care of my family, I could care less what the fans think.
If ur a fighter its the fans that way ur wages though. Who would pay for another PPV or ticket to see KJ again if you were unsure if he was actually going to fight or not?
I agree that if he is getting d!cked by Elite do something about it, by JAS’s solution would be professional suicide.
I will now go to boycott. Thank you.
MoonUK,
I see your point, but I just think that this org. is such a pile of $h!t that KJ could walk into the cage tap out, take a crap on the Elite logo and still get a job with another org.
I don’t know about professional suicide, lot’s of athletes have done worse and still found work. Couture is gonna fight eventually, Dennis Rodman always had a team, lots of football players with terrible conduct find teams.
Would the fans trust him, yes likely, any fan who hates elite certainly would. He would be a hero to them, screwing over Shaw and company. I dislike EliteXC, but I dislike them for pretending they are superior in fighter treatment when they are not according to one of their own champs. I watch them as a filler program, not my sole source of MMA entertainment. They are WWF Superstars on Saturday afternoon rather than Wrestlemania, when you see them this way they are far less insulting to my sensibilities.
Jeff: don’t get me wrong i also hate Elite and I also like your idea of taking a crap on their logo once he’s fought.
Jas: If KJ walked in tapped and walked out he would be less popular than paper cuts to your balls. The fight game is all about popularity, the more popular you are the more you get paid, its as simple as that.
I like the idea.. Walk in.. tap out.. then get the fight restarted and kick the champs ass =)
I can see where Noons is coming from on this one. EliteXC is showing itself to be a joke of a promotion.
To bring Diaz into the ring after his first title defense in his hometown was disrespectful to Noons. I would have been pissed about that too. I can see where he is coming from on the pay and comped tickets too, but he needs to honor the contract he signed.
Ultimately, Noons needs to crap or get off the pot. He needs to fight Diaz or resign from EliteXC. If I were Noons, I would resign. EliteXC has shown that they run their business with very little class. He would definitely find a gig with the UFC or Affliction, especially after all the press he has been getting lately. You never know, Affliction might be willing to throw a big contract at him, seems to be the way they like to do things.
RealDrew: EliteXC is not honoring the contract! Noon’s says he signed a 4 fight contract for a certain amount of money. And just cause he lost the first fight, Elite lowers his pay! I had forgot that Elite made the 160 weight class just for Diaz! What kind of sh*t is that?
The thing is, that hes still under contract. IMO, hes right about Diaz not being the #1 contender!
Nick Diaz s the clear cut 1# contender in EliteXc.
Noons management and EliteXC needs to come to terms on all these issues. Either KJ fights and defends his title.. or EliteXc releases him from his contract.. drop the belt in Shaw’s office..and everyonre goes there own way.
Just like I posted a long time ago…
When all you hedgehogs were calling KJ a pussy.
Its ALWAYS about the $$$…
This dude just doesnt want to defend his title. Why is he asking for Alvarez? Eddie would destroy KJ worst then Diaz would!
I would throw my belt in the river and go box. He could make more money flipping burgers. EXC is a bunch of scumbags.
no kidding!
bottom line, it’s the SAME as Randy…shut the F up and fight. You signed a contract, honor it!
His contract is an agreement between him and EliteXC. I’m pretty sure the contract doesn’t state that EXC gets to do whatever it wants and Noons has to take it up the… I have a contract with a cell phone company. But if they don’t give me the service I signed the contract for, I’m out. Of course I’m just one man and AT&T is a huge company. Kind of like Noons vs. EliteXC. The big MMA organization jerks one of it’s fighters around and when he doesn’t shut up and take it, they have the resources to ruin his career. All they have to do is cry that Noons is ducking their posterboy and john and kevin and their clones jump on the EliteXC/Diaz bandwagon calling the guy who whooped Diaz a puss. It doesn’t matter that the champion can not feed his family. As long as we get to see the fight. Gary Shaw is your dad.
thats a dumb comparison, you bolt on a cell contract and you pay out the ass in early termination fees, don’t pay them and your credit is ruined. good try wayne!
Lol…”John and Kevin and their clones…”
Well, you’ll probably never read this because it’s now an old thread; but, I used that comparison because it did happen to me. AT&T tried to d!ck me around and I cancelled after two months of service. Still have great credit.
if hes so pissed at elite, then show them by beating diaz! you wuss. This guy noons is a jackass and forgot what he signed up for initally, that is to fight! hes pathetic.
ok maybe he has a point.
Doesn’t sound lyke he’s earning too much. Maybe if he beats Diaz again he’ll get his rewards……although I’d love if Diaz kicks his ass. That’d be a great reward for Diaz
elitexc may have treated him like crap, but he cant make any money not fighting. might as well fight diaz on national t.v., get a pay check and a ton of exposure. it doesnt seem like he is capable of thinking of the future, just the here and now. i didnt see 1 viable excuse to me why he shouldnt fight nick diaz on CBS.
He caught Diaz with a couple blows never really hurting him but cutting him like a knife in the worst possible spot. This guy is not as good as he thinks he is. Krazy Horse took him out easily and so will diaz the second time around. Noons gets killed by any of the top lightweights out there…elitexc should drop him and jake “no punches thrown” shields and move on…maybe go bail krazy horse out of jail and let him send noons back to the island for good
how could you talk shit about Shields!?!?!? the guy is world class and has beaten Okami, Condit, Thompson, and many others.
Bill Maher - You said it. Ric Gaddis writes “Jake ‘no punches thrown’ Shields” like the only way to finish a fight is with fists. This is MMA, right? Or am I on the wrong forum?
It’s one thing to win a fight WITHOUT punches another to be a lame s.o.b. that nobody wants to watch. He’s fighting nobodies and choking them out. Don’t get me wrong I love to watch some good bjj and wrestling but when it’s one sided and boring without a single punch thrown it gets to be annoying. I hope noons gets attacked by a shark.
Quack, Quack, Quack KJ. OK his “Calculations” don’t include endorsements and sponsership dollars which is the majority of an athletes income. And sorry KJ, but this is the buissness world and you will get screwed over a lot. The best way to deal with this is to just keep fighting and keep wining and people will treat you better. Why else wouldn’t he take the fight if he didn’t think he could win? He’s ducking him and this E-mail doesn’t change a thing.
i agree with him on all points except the not fighting part…i would be pissed at that treatment as well but get pissed off, get in there, and do your best to try and kick Diaz’s ass
OFF Topic: Which is the better Diaz brother? Nate is a brown belt, Nick is a black belt, but as we’ve seen that means little in the world of MMA (see Kevin Burns vs Roan Carnerio). Both have good boxing and are exceptionally scrappy. I want your anwsers MMA nation!
DB, I have to go with Nate Diaz as the better of the 2 lb for lb. Nate is younger, has a better start and slightly better attitude.
DB - I’d have to agree with THORAZINE. I’m a bigger than of Nate, and I think his style has more potential. He’s got good standup, and he’s nasty on the ground. My hope is that he proves to take less punishment before he finishes his opponent than his brother has a tendency to do.
His stand up looked like crap against Pellegrino.
He does show some heart, however.
Nate seems to be a smarter fighter imo. Nick just goes in there, forgets that he has amazing BJJ, and lets himself get out boxed by the likes of Sean Sherk. As far as fight strategy goes, he’s like the anti-Couture.
Noons has a point… but..
J. Shaw looked like a tool talking shit like he did. He made his company look unorganized and petty by bashing one of their best fighters. Noons doesn’t look great through his response, a lil classier comeback like what Brett Rodgers let loose would have been a much better idea.
gotta agree with him eddie alvarez is definatly the top contender but everybody wants kj v diaz. i say he should fight alvarez and teh diaz for christmas
noons is right gary shaw and elite are scum. he was done wrong all the way. he needs to stick to his guns until he gets paid. however i dont have a problem with diaz making more cash. in mma you are a brand. even though noons won the fight, diaz still has the bigger name and fan base therefore he will make more money. noons just keep fighting and winning and good things will happen
hurry up. just fight already. everybody thinks he’s ducking diaz and he actually is. wat about mike aina? he’s good. refer to Dana’s “do you want to be a fighter?” TUF speech. so whats the bottom line? whats it gonna be? deal or no deal? belt or no belt?
o by the way what do you expect when you carry a guy’s picture cut on his eye? in the ring, ya just got caught slippin.
He is the champ, they are treating him like Elvis Synosack
KJ Noons digs deeper into a hole he can’t get out of. EliteXC thank god they did not make him a star imagine the ego he would have. He is living off Nick Diaz fame other than that he is not even consider to be in the Top 20 Lighweights of the world. If KJ Noons is complaining about money in MMA than why didn’t he just stick to boxing. He signed a contract you get paid what you agreed to so stop your crying pick up your tampon on the way out, MMA it’s a sport for real fighter
Give him some credit for what he is saying. If he pockets an average $300 a week from Elite after taxes and expenses and you are the current champ. I bet there would be a lot of people that would complain if they walked in those shoes. That is a lot of work and training for very little financial gain.
he’d make a lot more if he’d take fights instead of avoiding them. thats like working a job assembling some sort of machine and getting paid per machine completed and sitting in the break room all day and then complaining that you aren’t making any moeny.
I said this the other day in the Noons/Diaz thread. I’ll admit it was a guess, but It was a logical one. And still some of you laughed at me. Now I laugh at you oh yea of little faith. HA HA HA!
+1.
What a puss buck up and fight . Does any one know what happened to Lee Murry,anything about the bank job or what ever it was.
If Lee Murray ever gets out of the Morrocan jail he’ll head striaght to jail in Britain for at least 20 years.
I guess Noons isn’t fighting to be the best, he is fighting to make money.
Go grow a big beard and talk about thats “how you eat”.
I heard that’s all the rage.
WOW, 4 tickets for a Champion in his home!?!? He needs to leave EliteXC if he gets shit on that much. It is weird because they kiss the ass of Bigfoot, Lawler, Gina, and Jake Shields.
For the health of MMA Elite XC needs to go away.
wHAT A DUECHBAG,, you signed the contract ,, honour it! Noons is not looking long term ,, if he gets on tv an does a great show ,, his value will rise an then the who knows what the offers from competing org’s will be ,, no one wants to sign a biatch !
i would not fight diaz for one dime less then him.. if i was the defending champ i would be asking for more than a bum like diaz.. yeah.. a bum
Pussy.
EDDIE ALVAREZ WOULD KO THIS DUDE!!!!!AFTER SEEN HIM IN JAPAN AND KJ DUKING (NICK DIAZ)LOL!!!ALVAREZ WOULD KO DIAZ TOO………..PERIOD……
I love Nick and Nate specially when Nate was ready to get down with Karo on TUF. They just don’t take any crap they are like to pit bulls.
I can understand KJ’s problems with EXC as far as pay and such. But, if KJ had so many issues with EXC why the heck was he on Inside MMA holding up a picture of Diaz, and callinh himself KJ “The Artist” Noons?
He’s all talk this kid.
It doesn’t matter who wins in the Diaz/Noons rematch. Alvarez will completely tool whoever wins that fight.
Thats a bold statement Introvert.
I don’t like him at all but he makes good points every company should pay there world champions more.