Will
11-12-2007, 03:01 AM
Moments after a doctor declared Nick Diaz unfit to continue, the bloodied fighter stormed out of the cage, flipping off and cursing ringside officials, and shoving a television camera on the way to his dressing room.
Needless to say, the odds-on favorite didn’t win Elite Xtreme Combat’s vacant 160-pound title.
Instead, underdog KJ Noons sliced and diced his way to a victory at Saturday’s “EliteXC: Renegade” event at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. The fight capped off a main card that aired live on Showtime.
Recently signed to a long-term exclusive contract with EliteXC, Diaz was expected to carry the organization’s newly formed 160-pound division. However, the 24-year-old, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, was unable to get his Noons to the ground. Instead, the professional boxer sprawled his way out of Diaz’s takedown attempts.
On one such attempt, Noons delivered a knee that caught Diaz flush in the face, opening a deep gash above his right eye. Seconds after the cut was cleared by a doctor, Noons dropped Diaz with a right hook — and then opened a gash above the dazed fighter’s other eye while throwing haymakers from above.
The round ended, and the fight soon followed.
The doctor took one look at Diaz’s battered and bloodied face and halted the bout, prompting the former UFC and PRIDE fighter to storm off in protest.
In the night’s other marquee match, Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson‘s official MMA debut was a short one — and an unpopular one with the Corpus Christi crowd. Facing Bo Cantrell, a four-year veteran of 20 fights, Slice comfortably avoided a wild backfist, shook off a leg kick, and then connected on a body shot and a fight-ending forearm to the back of his opponent’s ear.
Cantrell immediately tumbled against the fence and onto the canvas. Before Slice could rain down punches, though, Cantrell immediately and frantically tapped out.
Slice’s much-hyped professional debut lasted a mere 19 seconds. And when Cantrell quickly jumped to his feet, a less-than-impressed crowd booed the fighter and his quick forfeiture.
In a welterweight bout, Jake Shields posted his ninth consecutive victory — and fourth-straight first-round stoppage — by submitting Mike Pyle with a rear-naked choke at 3:39 of the first round.
Pyle stunned and staggered his opponent with a knee early in the first round, but Shields shook it off, got the fight to the ground, and locked in the choke to force the tap-out.
It was a bittersweet victory for Shields. The bout was set to crown the organization’s first-ever welterweight champion. However, Pyle refused to sign a long-term deal with EliteXC, saying the organization had failed to promote him appropriately, and he opted for a three-round non-title fight instead.
Shields, who signed a long-term deal with EliteXC on Friday, is expected to fight for the title in his next bout.
Also earning victories on Saturday were Antonio Silva (who submitted Jonathan Wiezorek in a super-heavyweight bout), Kyle Noke (who earned a second-round TKO after cutting Seth Kleinbeck) and UFC veteran Yves Edwards (who snapped a three-fight winless streak with a first-round submission of Nick Gonzalez).
The night’s full results included:
* KJ Noons def. Nick Diaz via TKO (doctor’s stoppage — cuts) — Round 1, 5:00
* Kevin Ferguson def. Bo Cantrell via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 0:19
* Jake Shields def. Mike Pyle via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 3:39
* Kyle Noke def. Seth Kleinbeck via TKO (doctor’s stoppage — cut) — Round 2, 4:22
* Antonio Silva def. Jonathan Wiezorek via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 3:12
* Geoff Bumstead def. Robert Ruiz via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 1:30
* Yves Edwards def. Nick Gonzalez via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 3:05
* Matt Lucas def. Jon Kirk via unanimous decision
* Brett Rogers def. Ralph Kelly via submission (strikes) — Round 1, 1:43
* Jae Suk Lim def. Daniel Pineda via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 2:42
Needless to say, the odds-on favorite didn’t win Elite Xtreme Combat’s vacant 160-pound title.
Instead, underdog KJ Noons sliced and diced his way to a victory at Saturday’s “EliteXC: Renegade” event at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. The fight capped off a main card that aired live on Showtime.
Recently signed to a long-term exclusive contract with EliteXC, Diaz was expected to carry the organization’s newly formed 160-pound division. However, the 24-year-old, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, was unable to get his Noons to the ground. Instead, the professional boxer sprawled his way out of Diaz’s takedown attempts.
On one such attempt, Noons delivered a knee that caught Diaz flush in the face, opening a deep gash above his right eye. Seconds after the cut was cleared by a doctor, Noons dropped Diaz with a right hook — and then opened a gash above the dazed fighter’s other eye while throwing haymakers from above.
The round ended, and the fight soon followed.
The doctor took one look at Diaz’s battered and bloodied face and halted the bout, prompting the former UFC and PRIDE fighter to storm off in protest.
In the night’s other marquee match, Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson‘s official MMA debut was a short one — and an unpopular one with the Corpus Christi crowd. Facing Bo Cantrell, a four-year veteran of 20 fights, Slice comfortably avoided a wild backfist, shook off a leg kick, and then connected on a body shot and a fight-ending forearm to the back of his opponent’s ear.
Cantrell immediately tumbled against the fence and onto the canvas. Before Slice could rain down punches, though, Cantrell immediately and frantically tapped out.
Slice’s much-hyped professional debut lasted a mere 19 seconds. And when Cantrell quickly jumped to his feet, a less-than-impressed crowd booed the fighter and his quick forfeiture.
In a welterweight bout, Jake Shields posted his ninth consecutive victory — and fourth-straight first-round stoppage — by submitting Mike Pyle with a rear-naked choke at 3:39 of the first round.
Pyle stunned and staggered his opponent with a knee early in the first round, but Shields shook it off, got the fight to the ground, and locked in the choke to force the tap-out.
It was a bittersweet victory for Shields. The bout was set to crown the organization’s first-ever welterweight champion. However, Pyle refused to sign a long-term deal with EliteXC, saying the organization had failed to promote him appropriately, and he opted for a three-round non-title fight instead.
Shields, who signed a long-term deal with EliteXC on Friday, is expected to fight for the title in his next bout.
Also earning victories on Saturday were Antonio Silva (who submitted Jonathan Wiezorek in a super-heavyweight bout), Kyle Noke (who earned a second-round TKO after cutting Seth Kleinbeck) and UFC veteran Yves Edwards (who snapped a three-fight winless streak with a first-round submission of Nick Gonzalez).
The night’s full results included:
* KJ Noons def. Nick Diaz via TKO (doctor’s stoppage — cuts) — Round 1, 5:00
* Kevin Ferguson def. Bo Cantrell via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 0:19
* Jake Shields def. Mike Pyle via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 3:39
* Kyle Noke def. Seth Kleinbeck via TKO (doctor’s stoppage — cut) — Round 2, 4:22
* Antonio Silva def. Jonathan Wiezorek via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 3:12
* Geoff Bumstead def. Robert Ruiz via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 1:30
* Yves Edwards def. Nick Gonzalez via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 3:05
* Matt Lucas def. Jon Kirk via unanimous decision
* Brett Rogers def. Ralph Kelly via submission (strikes) — Round 1, 1:43
* Jae Suk Lim def. Daniel Pineda via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 2:42