After taking almost two years off from active MMA competition following the collapse of EliteXC in 2008, KJ Noons picked up where he left off in 2010, winning back-to-back fights to emerge as a viable contender for Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez. In his second fight with the California-based promotion, Noons will take on former UFC fighter Jorge Gurgel on the main card of Strikeforce: Houston on August 21.
In an exclusive interview with Tapology’s Steven Kelliher, Noons gave his thoughts on a myriad of topics, including his fight with Gurgel and his goal to win two title belts in Strikeforce. Noons also addressed the debate regarding fighting safe and fighting to entertain, and why finding a happy medium between the two may be the best route for a fighter to take.
Tapology: How do you feel about your performance in your last fight against Conor Heun and how does it feel to be back in the cage?
Noons: It feels good to be back in the U.S., and I thought my performance was good considering the fact that I was coming off of a shattered foot, twice. There were a few things that were off and it gave me a good chance to come into this camp and fine tune a few things and be a better fighter for my next match.
Tapology: Was there anything specific in the Heun fight that you were unhappy with?
Noons: No, I was happy. My conditioning was good, but maybe my diet wasn’t that great, but I changed that for this fight. It was an all-action fight—some people said it was a brawl—but I didn’t get hit once on the feet, just when I was on the ground, so I thought it was a great performance for me to look back at and just get better.
Tapology: Now that you have returned to MMA competition in 2010 as opposed to boxing, are you still weighing future boxing options or are you focusing on MMA exclusively?
Noons: I still love boxing and I still want to do that, but at this time it made more sense [to fight in MMA]. My timing was perfect because now Showtime is having all of these shows this year.
Tapology: You will be fighting Jorge Gurgel on August 21. What do you think about him and what do you expect out of him when you meet in the cage?
Noons: I think he’s a great competitor, he’s one of the toughest matches I’ve had to date, and I actually think he’s the top contender; I thought he beat Billy Evangelista when they fought. Everybody says he doesn’t use his Jiu-Jitsu, so I’m guessing he might use it this time and I have to be ready for that. I’m taking him very seriously.
Tapology: When I spoke with Jorge recently, he seemed to be under the impression that this fight would determine the top contender to Gilbert Melendez’s Lightweight Championship. Do you think that is the case?
Noons: Whatever Strikeforce wants. I think whatever the fans want to see I’m interested in doing.
Tapology: Speaking about Gurgel’s ground skills, are you prepared to have him shooting in on you?
Noons: I’m training for pretty much anything, whether he shoots or presses me against the cage and tries to dirty box. I’ve been putting myself in bad positions in training so I know how to deal with them in the fight.
Tapology: Gurgel has never been knocked out. Do you think you are the guy to do it?
Noons: Yeah. I go into every fight trying to knock somebody out. I’ll go for the knockout, but this guy’s a tough guy and I just want to put on a good show.
Tapology: Since you have been spending a lot of time as of late in the boxing world, is it difficult to adjust your footwork and timing to deal with MMA fighters, most of whom move much differently than boxers do?
Noons: It is a little bit different, especially when you jump in there at a higher level in MMA, so these last two fights have been good for me to get back into the rhythm. I’ve been working on becoming a more well-rounded and complete fighter.
Tapology: There has been an off-and-on debate in recent months over how high-level fighters approach their fights strategically, with some—such as King Mo, Rashad Evans, and GSP—taking the easiest and smartest route to victory while others try to entertain the crowd and put on a show. What do you think about that debate, especially when your name has been brought up in the matter?
Noons: Well, I think there has to be a gray line. You can’t always take the safe way, and I think some fighters have it and some don’t. I just think I’m a true fighter deep down inside. I’m not saying these other guys aren’t—all of the people that you listed are world champions or great competitors—I’m just saying some people want to fight that way and some don’t.
It’s a personal preference and I like to fight the way I fight. I wouldn’t say I fight stupid; my fights might look like wars but if you watch it I’m usually standing in the pocket and the other guy’s getting the shit beat out of him. The fans will judge for themselves who they like and just because the guys you mentioned don’t want to fight a war doesn’t make them a lesser fighter, that’s just their strategy. There has to be a happy medium, I think.
Tapology: There is no doubt that Strikeforce would be interested in booking a fight between yourself and Melendez in the near future. Do you think about that fight at all?
Noons: For me it’s really one fight at a time, but if I have to go by styles I think it’s a good match-up for me. You have to use your strengths to win and I think my takedown defense is pretty good. I think the only way somebody’s going to beat me is to lay and pray—I call it lay and gay—just to edge out those rounds. When that day does come, that I do lose, it will probably be somebody that lays and prays and that won’t really be a loss for me.
On that last scorecard in that last fight [against Heun], if he had just gotten me down one more time and laid on me for a minute he probably would have won. Maybe that says something about the scoring system.
Tapology: At the press conference after your last win, you said that you would like to take the lightweight and welterweight belts in Strikeforce. Is that a goal you keep in mind during training or is that just something you will worry about in the future?
Noons: That’s in my mind; that’s my motivation. The 155-pound belt is very realistic for me to get, and I beat the welterweight champ, Nick Diaz, so when I say something like that it’s not really far-fetched at all. By the same token, when I go to Freddie Roach’s and box with some of the best guys in the world and beat the crap out of them, that shows me that I can compete at that level, so these aren’t just dreams that I’m making up.
Tapology: With that being said, why do you think you will be the first guy in Strikeforce to hold two titles at the same time?
Noons: I think I’m a pretty big lightweight and I would have no problem moving up in weight, let’s just put it that way. It’s all about speed and skill at the end of the day.
