Obviously, KJ Noons is our kind of fighter. While he has enjoyed considerable more success in MMA he does dabble in boxing and we dig that.
For the time being, though, his boxing career has been put on hold. Makes sense considering Noons shocked the MMA world in November by defeating Nick Diaz and capturing the first-ever Elite XC 160-pound title. He’s kind of like a big fish in a small MMA pond and a small fish in a big boxing lake.
His first title defense comes on 4/26 against veteran Yves Edwards in Hawaii and, today, we catch up with Noons while later in the week we’ll feature a discussion with Edwards on the upcoming bout.
Some of the topics we spoke to Noons about were:
* Will this fight air on CBS?
* His thoughts on the CBS deal
* The revival of Yves Edwards’ career
* His ever-improving ground game
* Nick Diaz’s negative comments following their bout in November
* When he plans on boxing again
All that and much more. Check, ch-check, check ‘er out.
Quite the day for the sport of mixed martial arts.
First, we hear about Elite XC striking a multi-year deal with CBS to air events starting in April and then the UFC lands its first mainstream sponsor in Bud Light. So, who had the better day? Well, right now I would have to call it a draw.
Wait, what? A draw?
Yes, a draw.
I know what you’re thinking: How can landing a broadcast network TV deal be compared to just gaining one sponsor. Let me explain.
Sure, Pro Elite’s deal is beyond huge but until EXC proves that they can pull in a rating that broadcast networks expect (and there is a huge difference between what cable as opposed to broadcast networks expect) the jury is still out on the deal. WWE thought they could also be successful with Saturday Night’s Main Event in primetime on NBC and, well, we all know how that went.
I wouldn’t be surprised if NBC or FOX will now wait to see what kind of rating EXC generates before agreeing to televise UFC events. This is the litmus test. If, for whatever reason, enough people don’t watch these shows it will be very hard for Dana White to ever land that television deal he has been working to secure.
So, why is it a draw? I am calling it such because both moves strongly impact each other. If EXC pulls in great ratings, FOX or NBC will surely go after the UFC. Conversely, the fact that a major sponsor has attached itself to the UFC comes at a great time for the Elite XC because they are now looking for someone to sponsor their CBS events. Bud Light has announced that it is now longer a risk to sponsor MMA. Other than a network paying them to air their shows this is the most important obstacle they have overcome (and it’s still unclear whether Elite XC is paying CBS or vice versa).
The UFC just secured a major sponsor; one that is also associated with the NFL and the NBA. This gives them credibility in the advertising world and will no doubt open the eyes of all major corporations (and networks). It’s a move that will provide instant dividends while a lot needs to happen before this CBS deal is deemed a true financial success.
Now, don’t get me wrong, congratulations are in order for everyone affiliated with Pro Elite Inc. They will go down in history as the first MMA promotion to ever land a broadcast network deal. A year ago, EXC had just aired its first ever event and now they are the trail blazers – not the more established UFC.
I guess this means we’ll finally get an answer to the question that has been debated for the last year or so: Which three letters are most popular? MMA or UFC.
One thing’s for sure, it certainly isn’t EXC because a quick look at the articles written about the deal all have headlines that mention MMA and not EXC. Proof: Variety, Associated Press and Multichannel News all have something to the effect of: “CBS to air MMA” not “Elite XC.”
Furthermore, fiveouncesofpain.com just put up a clip from today’s episode of ESPN’s Around The Horn discussing the historic deal and, yet again, Elite XC wasn’t mentioned. Not even once. A small victory was won when J.A. Adande uttered the words “Kimbo Slice” but that was right before the break under the show’s theme song. One must pay close enough attention to notice it.
It would be silly for me to think that Elite XC is a household name so I understand why it isn’t being mentioned as much as expected but neither is MMA. I would have expected something to the effect of “CBS has agreed to air Elite XC, a new mixed martial arts league, starting in April.”
I’m not trying to rain on Elite XC’s parade. I think they have grown exponentially since their first show in February ‘07 and continue to produce great cards and even better fights. But if anyone thinks this is a victory in itself they are sorely mistaken. There is still a ton of work to be done. Just ask the XFL.
We’re always featuring interviews with different personalities from the fight world so it’s nice to switch things up and actually voice our opinion from time-to-time. That was the case during my appearance on yesterday’s edition of Fight Network Radio.
Have I mentioned how much I love that show and how honored I am that they keep inviting me back? Well, I do and I am.
Anyhow, yesterday we spoke a lot about this weekend’s Elite XC offering. More specifically, we talked about why some people continue to hate on the phenomenon that is Kimbo Slice, the growth of Elite XC as a promotion and why some fans continue to boo great MMA matches.
In their always entertaining “Final Countdown” segment we also talked a little Pavlik-Taylor and, of course, Money May’s arrival in World Wrestling Entertainment. Unfortunately, that audio isn’t available but as soon as it is I will throw it up here (UPDATE: It’s up and it can be found down below).
I always love chatting with those guys because it makes me feel like the not-so-cool kid getting to hang out with the cool kids for 15 minutes or so. So, you know, thanks for making me feel “cool.”
Fight Network Radio Appearance – 02/20/08
Fight Network Radio “Final Countdown” Segment – 02/20/08
I can’t stress this enough: If you are a fan of all things combat sports and are not listening to Mauro Ranallo and John Pollock on a daily basis you are really doing yourself a disservice. The show airs live on Sirius channel 186 or online at hardcoresportradio.com. You can also download all their episodes here.
2. Miami sure does love them some Kimbo. What an amazing crowd
3. Even in defeat, that was Jermain Taylor’s best fight as a pro
4. Tank Abbott must be a Ric Flair fan
5. Other than the fact that there were no knock downs, I enjoyed the second Pavlk-Taylor fight better than the first
6. Ok, we’ve seen Kimbo fight two tomato cans. Now it’s time for him to fight some stiffer competition. Sean Gannon, anyone?
7. Nice to see a solid undercard on a boxing PPV
8. For Yves Edwards to be truly “back” he needs to fight a top-20 contender. Until then, I just don’t buy it
9. James Thompson needs to rethink the way he starts fights
10. Brett Rogers and Scott Smith should share KO of the night honors. Still not sure which one was better but both men looked great.
11. Very disapointed in Antonio Silva’s performance. In fact, props to Ricco Rodriguez. Hopefully this helps him get his life back in order
12. Bill Goldberg needs to take it down a notch. He is way too aggressive and I hate the fact that he is so visible in the cage after the fights. When the fighters are giving each other props he shouldn’t be jumping in there too.
13. Enough with the DJ after fights. And while we’re at it, enough with making the fighters wear EliteXC hats too. It’s so weak.
14. What’s with all the Shamrock vs. Kimbo talk? Aren’t we in agreement that if Shamrock defeats Buzz Berry next month that he should then fight his brother, Frank?
15. If Pavlik really does fight Trinidad next I will truly fall into a deep depression.
I’m still all worked up over last night’s festivities in the world of boxing and MMA so allow me to open the mental flood gates.
Let’s begin with the sweet the science. The Park was actually live and inside Madison Square Garden to witness a great night of boxing. Surprisingly, I had only seen one live boxing fight before in my life – Gatti vs. Hutchinson in 2000 – and while that bout certainly had its fair share of fireworks (and blood) last night’s experience was on a whole different level.
Firstly, the crowd was off the charts. Walk to the bathroom or concession stand and you would instantly find yourself in the midst of an impromptu mini-Puerto Rican Day Parade. Gotta love how passionate those PR fans are when it comes to local talent.
I never thought I would see the day when sweet ol’ “Sugar” Shane Mosley would get booed like he did last night but the pro wrestling fan in me loved the clear-cut heel vs. babyface battle last night’s bout represented.
Speaking of Mosley…wow. That’s really all I can say. I walked away from that fight way more impressed with the “aging” superstar than the rising star Cotto. Truth be told, I actually scored the fight a draw and while I am aware a fight can look a lot different from the nose bleeds than on TV I really thought Mosley had as much of a right to win that bout as Cotto did. We all expected Mosley to be quick but few (including myself) expected to see Cotto back pedal from an oncoming Mosley assault as many times as he did.
That said, I had no problem with Cotto winning. He proved his worth and should definitely be next in line for Mayweather. That fight easily makes the most sense. The loud-mouth (and older) Mayweather against the quiet brahma bull. The phenom looking to shut the self-centered champ for good. Beautiful. Thrown in the extra storyline line of Cotto looking to finish the job fellow Puerto Rican, Oscar De La Hoya, couldn’t finish and you have an instant 2008 Fight of the year on your hands.
Here’s hoping SI.com’s Chris Mannix isn’t right when he says Cotto vs. De La Hoya may be up next. I fail to see what can be proven from that match-up. Plus, didn’t De La Hoya once say he had no interest in ever fighting another Puerto Rican?
One more note about last night: The undercards, as expected, were great. Margarito and Ortiz came out guns blazing. For a minute I thought I was watching a UFC card with all those first round KOs. The other rumeur du jour appears to be Margarito vs. Cotto but, at this point, that fight would clearly be a step down for Cotto. Margarito is a tremendous boxer but there’s a hell of a lot more money to be made in a bout against Mayweather or De La Hoya.
Once Cotto’s hand was raised, I rushed home from MSG to watch Elite XC: Renegade and all things considered, I came away thoroughly pleased. Sure, most of the fights ended early but I enjoyed each one of them including the much-anticipated debut of Kimbo Slice.
Despite the fact that his first official MMA fight lasted only 19 seconds the spectacle of seeing this larger-than-life fellow step into the cage was something to remember. I never thought I would see Bo Cantrell, who looks quite intimidating in his own-right, appear as scared as he did before the fight. Rumor has it Cantrell was throwing up in his locker room before the bout and, really, who can blame him? Kimbo looked downright vicious in the cage and it appears as though Tank Abbott may be next on his hit list. Good luck, Tank.
The only negative coming out of the fight was that I couldn’t help but feel a little cheated by Cantrell’s performance. The cage looked like it was the last place he wanted to be and after two so-so punches he tapped out due to strikes. Weak. Sure, he took the fight on very short notice but he showed no intention of ever putting up a fight. Watching his performance brought back memories of Brock Lesnar’s MMA debut in June in which Lesnar’s opponent, Min-Soo Kim (also a late replacement), submitted due to strikes 69 seconds into the first round.
Elsehwere, friend of Jarry Park, KJ Noons, shocked the MMA world by defeating Nick Diaz to become the first-ever 160-pound EXC Lightweight champ in a controversial ref stoppage due to a couple of large gashes on Diaz. This decision was particularly disappointing because the first round was exceptional (I had Noons winning the round 10-9). Who would have ever thought we would see the inexperienced KJ Noons dominate Nick Diaz in all facets of the fight? Needless to say, I think a Noons vs. Diaz rematch should be signed right away.
Jake Shields and Antonio Silva continued to enjoy success in Elite XC with Shields really making a statement. Mike Pyle can complain all he wants about EXC not promoting him enough but the fact of the matter is he turned down a shot at the Welterweight title and had a chance to beat a top-10 Welterweight on his way out of the promotion and did nothing to prove he deserves a big money contract from any other rival organization. On the other hand, Shields, as he said in our interview last week, continues to prove he is one of the top Welterweights in the world and certainly one of the best on the ground. Question is: Who does he fight next?
And how about Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. Has anyone at 265 lbs ever looked that agile before? I would love to see him drop to heavyweight because I think he can be a true force to be reckoned with in that division and face better-skilled opponents.
Ok, I’m done. What a great night of fighting. Keep visiting jarrypark.com all week as we’ll be reviewing this weekend’s action and hope to speak with some of the big winners from the ring and cage.
***Update: In case you missed it, below is footage of Kimbo’s debut. Did Cantrell take a dive? See for yourself…
Bo Jackson…Deion Sanders…Their whole “one day I’m a football star the next I’m a baseball player” routine was definitely impressive. But, let’s be real, they don’t hold a candle to what KJ Noons is trying to accomplish.
Noons is one of the few professional athletes that is actively competing on the boxing AND mixed-martial-arts stage. When it comes to the sweet science, he holds a 7-1-0 record with 5 KOs. In the MMA world, he is currently 5-2-0. Not a bad start. Noons focuses his training on whichever sport he will be competing in next. And, boy, does he have a big fight on his hands in just a few days.
Noons will be facing Nick Diaz for the first-ever Elite XC 160 lbs Lightweight belt this Saturday night at Elite XC:Renegade. Diaz is coming off a hard-fought victory over Mike Aina in his Elite debut in September. And while this fight appears to be a mismatch between a fighter (Diaz) who has fought in over twice as many MMA bouts as his opponent, Noons doesn’t seem phased in the slightest:
“You’re going to see the belt around my waist, man…”
Interestingly enough, in my interview with Noons (found below), he also said that this is the last fight on his Elite XC contract. However, one has to figure that a deal is already in place for an extension given the fact that he is fighting for a title. I mean, Gary Shaw wouldn’t give him a title shot before resigning him, would he?
Take a listen as Noons discusses his upcoming title fight, his boxing career, Kimbo Slice’s debut and his future in Elite XC.
Bas Rutten is no spring chicken. The former UFC Heavyweight champion and three-time King of Pancrase has been arould the world of Mixed-Martial-Arts longer than most. So it made perfect sense when I first heard that Rutten (aka El Guapo) would be training Kimbo Slice as he enters the world of MMA.
Surely by now you’ve heard of Kimbo. Internet sensation, street-fighting legend, huge guy who dismantled former boxer Ray Mercer – for better or worse, the man is the talk of the combat sports world.
When I spoke with fellow Elite XC fighter, Jake Shields, he had this to say about Kimbo’s Elite debut:
“It’s a little goofy to give him so much hype right away”
Shields may have a point but one can’t deny the intrigue surrounding Saturday night’s fight and who better to give us the real low down on how Kimbo preparing for bout against Bo Cantrell than his trainer, Bas Rutten.
In our interview, Rutten talks about how he first met Kimbo, his prediction for this weekend and the negativity surrounding his MMA debut.
Bas Rutten – 11/06/07
And, finally, one last Kimbo video for all his fans out there in street-fighting land.
Jake Shields has fought, and defeated, some of the best MMA fighters in the world. He holds victories over the likes of Carlos Condit, Yushin Okami, Hayato Sakurai and Jeremy Jackson. It’s a wonder his name doesn’t come up more often when discussing the top Welterweights. That’s all starting to change, though.
Since winning his Elite XC debut against Ido Pariente in June (Shields is in the midst of an impressive eight-fight winning streak), Shields has become a mainstay on everyone’s top 10 Welterweight list. Ho-hum, Shields is not content. He is itching to fight the absolute best and wonders if that can truly happen in Elite XC.
Just a few weeks ago, Shields said he was looking forward to testing his skills against the best the UFC has to offer. I don’t blame him. Clearly, the top Welterweights are fighting in the UFC. Naturally, though, Gary Shaw and the folks at Pro Elite weren’t that pleased with Shields’ comments. And while everyone seemed to have been on the same page during last week’s press conference, one has to wonder if this Saturday’s fight against Mike Pyle will be Shields’ last for Elite (his contract expires after this fight).
I asked Shields about his upcoming bout against Pyle, his future in Elite and his place in the Welterweight division. He definitely had some interesting things to say about the his 170 lbs contemporaries, Kimbo Slice’s budding MMA career and when we could find out about his MMA future (might be sooner than we think).
This Saturday is a huge night for combat sports enthusiasts. Not only will HBO PPV be televising the highly-anticipated Miguel Cotto vs. Shane Mosley bout but Showtime will also offer up a great Elite XC card for the MMA lover in all of us.
Elite XC is less than a year old but they are quickly establishing themselves as a viable player in the world of Mixed-Martial-Arts. Most of their events have been met with great fanfare (we won’t discuss the Los Angeles Coliseum debacle) and this Saturday’s show from Corpus Christi, Texas is shaping up to be a great one.
Obviously, the main questions leading up to this event are whether or not boxer/MMA fighter KJ Noons has what it takes to go toe-to-toe with Nick Diaz, will this be Jake Shields’ last fight for Elite XC and can Kimbo Slice’s “success” in the world of street-fighting translate into a prominent MMA career.
I invited one of the country’s best MMA journalists, Sam Caplan of proelite.com, fiveouncesofpain.com and cbssports.com, to preview this card and also discuss other Elite XC issues. Our discussion can be found below.
@FrontRowBrian oh relax. Don't get all sensitive on us. You were on the great @mauroranallo's show. U don't need my wrinky dink 1. Keepit up 2 hours ago
RT @Amareisreal: Thanks to Jeremy Lin & The Knicks, Y'all help me get my mind off my Bro for a few hours, Thx. Great game guys. Enjoy th ... 3 hours ago
Obviously, KJ Noons is our kind of fighter. While he has enjoyed considerable more success in MMA he does dabble in boxing and we dig that.
Quite the day for the sport of mixed martial arts.
We’re always featuring interviews with different personalities from the fight world so it’s nice to switch things up and actually voice our opinion from time-to-time. That was the case during my appearance on yesterday’s edition of 
MMA legend Frank Shamrock granted The Park his first interview since 
I’m still all worked up over last night’s festivities in the world of boxing and MMA so allow me to open the mental flood gates.
Despite the fact that his first official MMA fight lasted only 19 seconds the spectacle of seeing this larger-than-life fellow step into the cage was something to remember. I never thought I would see Bo Cantrell, who looks quite intimidating in his own-right, appear as scared as he did before the fight. Rumor has it Cantrell was throwing up in his locker room before the bout and, really, who can blame him? Kimbo looked downright vicious in the cage and it appears as though Tank Abbott may be next on his hit list. Good luck, Tank.
Bo Jackson…Deion Sanders…Their whole “one day I’m a football star the next I’m a baseball player” routine was definitely impressive. But, let’s be real, they don’t hold a candle to what 
Bas Rutten
This Saturday is a huge night for combat sports enthusiasts. Not only will HBO PPV be televising the highly-anticipated 
