EliteXC Fighter Watch: Alvarez, Daley, Noons, Diaz & More

Where are they going? A week removed from EliteXC’s fall, not one EliteXC fighter is free and clear yet to sign a new deal elsewhere. That doesn’t mean the wheels aren’t turning though. Here’s the latest on a few of the fighters EliteXC left behind.

Eddie Alvarez

Eddie AlvarezOf all the fighters signed to EliteXC contracts, Eddie Alvarez seems to have the most options while his Elite contract is stuck in bankruptcy proceedings. According to his manager, Monte Cox, Eddie has two fights remaining on his DREAM contract, and deals with Andrenaline and Extreme Challenge.

KJ Noons Says He’s A Free Agent, EliteXC Says He’s Not (Update)

KJ NoonsThe EliteXC drama continues…

It appears there’s a new development in the KJ Noons-EliteXC saga. In a report from Sherdog.com, Noons is now claiming he’s a free agent. According to Noons, when he was stripped of his title, it released him of his obligation to give EliteXC the two fights remaining on his contract.

“I’m a free agent.”

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EliteXC Strips KJ Noons Of His Lightweight Title (Update)

KJ NoonsIn a press release issued today, EliteXC has announced that they have stripped KJ Noons of their lightweight championship for refusing to defend the title against Nick Diaz.

EliteXC Head of Fight Operations Jeremy Lappen comments.

“We are stripping KJ of his championship belt for refusing to defend against Diaz. It’s a very unfortunate situation but we cannot have belt-holders who refuse to fight the top contenders. We want champions who will fight anyone, anytime, anyplace. That’s the mentality all champions should have.

Nick Diaz’s Camp Responds To KJ Noon’s Official Statement

Nick Diaz
Photo courtesy of Sherdog.com

We haven’t even heard a peep from Nick Diaz since the very public feud between EliteXC and KJ Noons started a little over a week ago. That’s not the case anymore though. Late last night, Graciefighter.com, the official website of Nick Diaz’s training camp, posted a point-by-point response to the official statement Noons released just two days ago. As you would expect, they weren’t exactly easy on the EliteXC Lightweight Champ. Here’s a few excerpts.

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Breaking Down KJ Noons’ Official Statement On EliteXC & Nick Diaz

KJ NoonsThere’s two sides to every story, and KJ Noons has finally told his. Instead of holding a press conference, Noons has released an official statement to share his side of the recent EliteXC-Nick Diaz debacle. We’ve covered this story pretty extensively, so I was quite anxious hear what Noons had to say, and quite honestly after reading it twice, I found very little that actually “clears his name.”

KJ Noons Reveals His Problem With Fighting Nick Diaz?

Nick Diaz Victory
Photo courtesy of Sherdog.com

So what’s the deal with KJ Noons? That’s the question everyone’s been asking since Noons via his manager, Mark Dion, refused to take the rematch against Nick Diaz on network television.

Until today, the only thing Noons has publicly said regarding the situation was this:

“This fight could be the biggest fight of my career. Taking a fight with Nick Diaz is not the problem at all, the problem is the fight with EliteXC.”

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Jared Shaw Responds To Mark Dion’s Comments; Extends KJ Noons Contract

KJ Noons & Nick DiazJared Shaw has responded to comments Mark Dion made yesterday regarding the KJ Noons/Nick Diaz rematch and the deadline that EliteXC imposed upon them. As you might suspect, Shaw had strong words for Mark Dion.

“[Negotiating] is the manager’s fiduciary responsibility for the fighter. But it’s also the manager’s responsibility to get his fighter to take the right fights that lead him to financial gains, and it’s up to the manager to make sure that he has the fighter understand how EliteXC feels about him. Otherwise the manager is painting whatever picture he wants to paint. And in this case, this manager — his 15 minutes of fame is costing his client his career.”

KJ Noons Successfully Ducks Nick Diaz

KJ NoonsIt looks like the ultimatum/deadline EliteXC imposed upon KJ Noons didn’t work.

MMARated.com has the scoop.

MMARated.com has learned that after a long negotiation process with KJ Noons’ camp, the much-anticipated KJ Noons vs. Nick Diaz 160 lbs title fight has been scrapped from the October 4th EliteXC on CBS card.

It was hoped that both sides would reach some sort of agreement but, according to EliteXC VP Jared Shaw, in the end both ProElite and Noons’ agent, Mark Dion, were unable to agree to the terms of the contract.

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Mark Dion Responds To EliteXC’s Nick Diaz Rematch Ultimatum (Update)

KJ Noons vs Nick Diaz
Image courtesy of EliteXC

It looks like we have an all out media war between EliteXC and KJ Noons’ camp. Yesterday, Jared Shaw informed the MMA media that KJ Noons and his management were avoiding EliteXC officials in regards to booking Noons in a rematch at EliteXC’s Oct. 4 CBS show. Shaw went so far as to issue Noons an ultimatum stating that if Noons didn’t accept the bout agreement by 5PM PT today, they would be forced to take action.

Jake Shields Will Defend Title Against Paul Daley At EliteXC/CBS Saturday Night Fights III

Jake Shields vs Paul Daley CBS EliteXC

The question of who Jake Shields will fight next has been answered, and no, it’s not Matt Lindland. Jared Shaw, busy making the media rounds today, confirmed to MMAWeekly.com that Shields will defend his EliteXC Welterweight Championship against Paul Daley.

“Jake Shields and Paul Daley have a date on Oct. 4. Both fighters have verbally agreed. Bout agreements are out and we’re just waiting for them to come back in.

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