SportsBettingWorld.com Interview With Strikeforce Contender KJ Noons

Added on Oct 01, 2010 by Brian Blake in

UFC & MMA

The HP Pavilion in San Jose, California hosts a solid night of fights with Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz as he puts his title on the line against KJ Noons in a long awaited rematch. KJ recently took time out of his busy schedule to speak with SportsBettingWorld.com regarding his upcoming title shot.

Brian O. Blake: How similar was this training camp to the first one for Diaz? What kind of changes were made?

KJ Noons: This camp was totally different. I’m under new management and I’ve also got a new team around me. It has been three years since our first fight and I’ve evolved. I’m better now than I was then and I’m feeling great.

BOB: How have you evolved as a fighter since the first fight?

KJN: I’m much more well rounded as a fighter. I feel that I’ve been able to improve a lot in my wrestling. I’ve also stepped up my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and my striking too. There’s just a whole lot that I’ve learned in the three years since the first time we fought.

BOB: Are you expecting a completely different fight this time around or do you expect it will pretty much pick up where the last one left off?

KJN: I can’t say for sure exactly how the fight is going to. I’m just expecting the best Nick Diaz. He’s the best 170-pounder out there. We’ve both gotten better and it should be an interesting fight.

BOB: What do you have to do to counter his size advantage?

KJN: I just have to make the best of my skill, speed and power.

BOB: Give me your thoughts on switching weight classes. Is this a permanent thing or can you see yourself going back?

KJN: I believe I’m a true lightweight, but I’ll definitely be staying in the welterweight division once I win the title. I just think that the timing was good for this fight. They needed a fight for Nick and I needed a fight for myself. We share some history in the cage and we’re both exciting fighters. Really, its a win-win situation for everyone involved, myself, Nick, Strikeforce and the fans. It’s a fight we’ve been trying to make for a while now.

BOB: Give me your thoughts on Diaz inside the cage as well as outside of it.

KJN: He’s a good fighter and he’s the champ so I have to respect that. As a person, that’s a different story. It makes for an interesting match, we’ve both been fighting and we’ve both been winning. Even without our history, on paper this is an exciting fight that makes sense.

BOB: Were you at all disrespected that he didn’t bother to take time out for the media teleconference?

KJN: I don’t really care about that. To be honest, the only person he’s hurting is himself. I was telling someone the other day that Strikeforce is the boss, they sign our checks and it’s kind of like when you hire someone and they don’t show up for the job but only show up for the check.

BOB: Fighting out of Stockton, what are you thoughts on him having the homefield advantage?

KJN: I love it. I love the competition and I love fighting for the fans no matter where I’m at.

BOB: What are your thoughts regarding your last fight against Gurgel?

KJN: I think I fought a good fight. I came through with the win and stopped him early. Was the win over Gurgel enough to catapult me to a title fight in a different divison? Probably not, but I’ve been on a winning streak and if you look at my recent fights, they’ve been getting better and better. Coming back from boxing I had to shake off some cage rust. That being said, do I deserve a title shot at 170? I don’t, I’ve never fought at that weight, but it’s a fight that has been in the making for a while now. I’m moving up to his weight class, I’m fighting him in his backyard, so he might as well put his belt on the line.

BOB: Is there anything you want to say in closing?

KJN: Yeah, I’d like to say a couple of things. First off, I want to thank the fans. I’m truly blessed to be doing what I’m doing. They can follow me on Facebook and Twitter. I’d also like to thank my sponsors in Rockstar, Metal Mulisha, Do Work and Quality Toyota. One top of that I want to thank my team for getting me ready for this fight.