EliteXC holds their next event this Saturday night in Corpus Cristi, Texas. The event will be broadcast on Showtime and feature a lightweight title fight between Nick Diaz and KJ Noons as the main event. Let’s quickly take a look at the fights that will be shown on the televised portion of the card.
Nick Diaz vs KJ Noons - The newly-formed 160 lb lightweight division will crown a champion and the smart money is on Nick Diaz. Nick Diaz returned from his 6-month drug suspension with a rather controversial decision victory over Mike Aina at EliteXC: Uprising in September. Immediately after the bout, Diaz was hospitalized with a severe case of staph infection, which very likely could have contributed to his lackluster performance.
KJ Noons is coming off a victory over Edson Berto at a ShoXC event in July. Prior to that, Noons lost his EliteXC debut when he was KO’d by Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett in the first round at EliteXC’s first show last February.
Noons is a somewhat accomplished professional boxer and seems to be content splitting his time between pro boxing and pro MMA. His hands will definitely pose problems for Diaz, who likes to fancy himself as a top-level striker. In reality, Diaz is more of an awkward, tactical striker without much KO power. Diaz should be able to control the fight with his experience and superior ground game. Hopefully, Diaz returns to his roots and slaps on a quick submission victory over Noons and takes ownership of the EliteXC lightweight belt. Winner: Nick Diaz
Kimbo Slice vs Bo Cantrell - If we are going to be honest, there isn’t much “analysis” that can be done for this fight. Kimbo Slice is so new to MMA that an accurate assessment of his skills is not possible. Bo Cantrell is a late replacement for Mike Bourke in this fight and just recently lost to Brad Imes by gogoplata two weeks ago.
You would have to assume Slice has the advantage on the feet, and has learned enough over the past few months training with Bas Rutten that he can survive on the ground. Hopefully this fight lets us see a little more of where Kimbo currently stands than his fight with Ray Mercer did. Winner: Kimbo Slice
Jake Shields vs Mike Pyle - This fight was originally scheduled be a welterweight title fight; however, Mike Pyle had other ideas. Pyle is looking to distance himself from EliteXC because, in his opinion, he isn’t be properly promoted by the company. While Pyle still agreed to the fight with Shields, he did not want it to be a title fight as he is looking to sign with another promotion. Strange mindset, considering that EliteXC offered him a title shot, and by winning the fight, he would naturally be heavily promoted as a champion.
Title fight or not, Jake Shields wins this fight in my mind. Pyle had a rather disappointing career in the IFL going 1-2 and left the promotion to work out his struggles. With two straight victories in EliteXC, Pyle will be tested heavily against Shields. Shields holds victories over Sakurai, Kikuchi, Okami, Condit and most recently “Charuto” Verissimo. Shields is definitely a top ten welterweight and should carry the welterweight belt well. Winner: Jake Shields
Antonio Silva vs Jonathan Wiezorek - Winner: Antonio Silva
Yves Edwards vs Nick Gonzalez - Winner: Yves Edwards
Seth Kleinbeck vs Kyle Noke - Winner: Seth Kleinbeck
Loading ...
DOC…
HOW CONTRAVIRSAL WAS DIAZ’S LAST FIGHT.. DO YA THINK HE LOST?
I had Diaz winning but it was a very close fight
Brad Imes gogoplata? That just sounds wierd. I was going to go with Bo but id Brad can sub him out like that I will have to go with Kimbo. Wonder if he’s going to cut his hair or come in with thw Blinky the clown wrap around he’s usually seen with. I think it’s a bad move on Pyle’s part also. Not that I think he would win but his stock can’t be that high right now. Jake’s a good fighter and should win without much trouble. As long as Diaz doesn’t start thinking he can out box KJ he should win this pretty easily if it gets to the ground. I’m kinda interested to see how Kimbo does. I’ve seen all his backyard internet stuff and he can throw a punch but his cardio is terrible. We’ll see if that’s been addressed and what ground skill he’s picked up. At least Elite is starting him off with mild competition so he can get some cage experience and make a rep for himself. I’m still not sure who Elite has to offer as far as good heavyweights but a good grappler will have their way with him for a while.
[quote comment="11180"]Brad Imes gogoplata? That just sounds wierd. [/quote]
You think that sounds weird… Imes has won his last 2 fights by gogoplata. Not bad for someone who is 6′7″
Pretty impressive, I have to give him some credit. On the TUF show it didn’t even seem like he had a ground game.
i went out and got shotime for this,now kimbo doesnt have the best chin if u see in some of his underground fights when someone lands a straight shot to the chin he wobbles
[quote comment="11181"][quote comment="11180"]Brad Imes gogoplata? That just sounds wierd. [/quote]
You think that sounds weird… Imes has won his last 2 fights by gogoplata. Not bad for someone who is 6′7″[/quote]
DR J
DO U THINK THAT BRAD IMES IS GOOD TO HAVE PULLED OFF A GOGO OR THAT HIS OPPENENTS WERE REALLY BAD TO HAVE LET IT HAPPEN?
[quote comment="11187"]i went out and got shotime for this,now kimbo doesnt have the best chin if u see in some of his underground fights when someone lands a straight shot to the chin he wobbles[/quote]
You bought SHOWTIME just for this???? WOW.. you could just snipe it off the web 2 minutes after the fight… its not THAT big a deal
[quote comment="11188"][quote comment="11181"][quote comment="11180"]Brad Imes gogoplata? That just sounds wierd. [/quote]
You think that sounds weird… Imes has won his last 2 fights by gogoplata. Not bad for someone who is 6′7″[/quote]
DR J
DO U THINK THAT BRAD IMES IS GOOD TO HAVE PULLED OFF A GOGO OR THAT HIS OPPENENTS WERE REALLY BAD TO HAVE LET IT HAPPEN?[/quote]
LOL i was also very surprised to hear about Brads 2 gogos. Its possible that his trainer has been helping him specialize in the gogo and its relatively unexpected.. especially coming from Imes. Once or twice its gonna surprise people, but now his opponents should definately be looking for that if it goes to the ground.
Im also going for Diaz and Kimbo.. other than that, id like to see if Yves Edwards is bringing anything this time.. hes lost 5 of his last 6 fights man.. its not looking good..
[...] Original post by MMA HQ - Mixed Martial Arts News and Analysis [...]
[quote comment="11193"][quote comment="11187"]i went out and got shotime for this,now kimbo doesnt have the best chin if u see in some of his underground fights when someone lands a straight shot to the chin he wobbles[/quote]
You bought SHOWTIME just for this???? WOW.. you could just snipe it off the web 2 minutes after the fight… its not THAT big a deal[/quote]
yeah but its not the same have a bbq drink some beer watching it on the internet doesnt have the same appeal as live
i am a big fan of EliteXC. im really hoping they stick around for a long, long time.
[...] HQ has a preview for this weekend’s EXC [...]