| KJ Noons | |
|---|---|
K.J. Noons holding his EliteXC Lightweight title belt. |
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| Born | Karl James Noons December 7, 1982 Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Other names | K.J. King Karl |
| Residence | San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 156 lb (71 kg; 11.1 st) |
| Division | Lightweight Welterweight Middleweight (boxing and kickboxing) |
| Reach | 70.0 in (178 cm) |
| Style | Boxing, Kenpō Karate, Muay Thai, Sanshou |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Team | Freelance |
| Trainer | Kimo Rigmaiden |
| Rank | Black belt in Kenpō Karate |
| Years active | 2000 - Present |
| Professional boxing record | |
| Total | 13 |
| Wins | 11 |
| By knockout | 5 |
| Losses | 2 |
| Kickboxing record | |
| Total | 14 |
| Wins | 12 |
| By knockout | 9 |
| Losses | 2 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 15 |
| Wins | 11 |
| By knockout | 8 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Losses | 4 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Spouse | Melany Lorenzo |
| Notable school(s) | Clements High School |
| Website | http://kjnoons.com/ |
| Boxing record from Boxrec | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitor for United States | ||
| Men's Karate | ||
| Long Beach International Karate Championships | ||
| Gold | 1997 | 17 and under Kenpō (Black) |
Karl James "K.J." Noons (born December 7, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist, boxer, and kickboxer who currently competes in the Strikeforce lightweight division and was also the first as well as last EliteXC Lightweight Champion. He holds notable victories over Yves Edwards, Jorge Gurgel, Conor Heun, Billy Evangelista and Nick Diaz. Noons is not a member of any fight team as he trains all over areas of San Diego, Los Angeles, and Tijuana, at various gyms.
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KJ Noons is hapa kanaka, hapa haole—mixed ethnicity of Native Hawaiian (from his mother's side) and Caucasian (from his father's side).[1] Born and raised in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, K.J. comes from a family history of fighting. His father Karl was a professional kickboxer and was a top contender during the time he fought. Karl's passion for fighting and competing in combat sports influenced him to introduce K.J. to martial arts at a young age. At the age of 5, Noons started in Kenpō Karate. While competing in Karate tournaments, K.J. was often disqualified for fighting too hard, then eventually started training in Boxing and Muay Thai at the age of 8 out of interest for full contact fighting. He competed as an amateur fighter and became the first student in the state of Hawaii to earn a junior black belt under Ed Parker at the age of 11. During his high school years, Noons moved to Houston, Texas due to the location of his father's job. While continuing to compete as a fighter, he also started playing football at Clements High School. At age 17, K.J. won the ISKA Super Middleweight International Championship as an amateur in Sanshou. After winning the title and graduating from Clements High School, K.J. decided to pursue a career in combat sports, rather than go to college and continue with football. While Noons is currently a two-sport professional combatant, he states his goal is to become the first world champion in Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts.[2]
In 2005, Noons won the PRIDE Fighting Championship's "Best Striker" auditions. Although, he never fought for the promotion, he fought for PRIDE's subleased promotion called Superbrawl. Noons chose not to fight for PRIDE Fighting Championships because the promoters wanted to feature him in bouts against the top lightweights in the world, such as PRIDE's reigning lightweight champion, Takanori Gomi, and lightweight top contender, Joachim Hansen. Noons felt he was not ready to compete at the highest level that early in his career and chose a more conservative route. After three combined wins under the ICON Sport and Superbrawl banner, Noons would move on to compete in bigger promotions.[3]
In 2006, Noons signed a deal with promoter Gary Shaw that allowed him to participate in both boxing and mixed martial arts. Soon after, Noons was set to face Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett in EliteXC's inaugural event in February 2007. After a few minutes of action into round number one, Bennett would land a right hook that would send Noons crashing down to the canvas. Noons was not unconscious, but was hurt enough for referee Herb Dean to step in and immediately stop the fight. Charles Bennett won the bout via KO in just 3:43 into round number one, giving Noons only the second loss of his professional mixed martial arts career.
After rebounding from his loss to Bennett with a KO win over James Edson Berto at EliteXC's first ShoXC event. He then faced Nick Diaz for the promotion's first 160 pound title at EliteXC: Renegade. Noons dominated the fight using his outstanding boxing and striking against the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert. Diaz attempted to take the fight to the ground but was unsuccessful with his takedown attempts and was also countered with a knee strike to the face on one occasion. Midway through the first round, Diaz was finally successful with a takedown, but Noons got back to his feet instantly. Moments later, the referee would halt the fight and send Diaz to his corner to check on his cuts over his right eye. Diaz was given the o.k. and continued to fight. Noons would keep the fight standing and dropped Diaz with a straight right punch around the 2:07 mark of the round. After round one ended, the doctors in Diaz's corner stopped the fight due to how badly his face was cut. Noons was then be declared the winner of the fight by way of TKO due to cuts, and would become EliteXC's new Lightweight Champion.
On June 14, 2008 Noons was successful in his first and only title defense with a TKO win over Yves Edwards in Hawaii at EliteXC: Return of the King.[4] Following the fight, Nick Diaz, whom fought on the event's co-main event, would step into the cage to confront Noons for a rematch during K.J.'s post-fight interview with Bill Goldberg. After Noons asked the fans if Diaz deserved the rematch, Diaz grabbed a hold of Goldberg's microphone and said "Don't be scared homie." An in-cage melee then ensued while incited by Noons's father, whom appeared to be inebriated at the time.[5] About two months later, Noons would be stripped of the title for refusing a rematch with Nick Diaz.[6] The promotion would then go defunct before a new champion could be crowned.
While Noons was still competing in professional kickboxing as a teenager, he previously fought for Strikeforce on their kickboxing fight cards before Strikeforce became a mixed martial arts promotion in 2006.[7]
On December 2, 2009, Noons signed with mixed martial arts promotion, Strikeforce.[8] In March 2010, Noons made his Japanese debut as he represented Strikeforce at Dream 13. In his first MMA fight in nearly 2 years, Noons defeated Andre Amade via unanimous decision.
KJ was set to make his Strikeforce debut against undefeated prospect Billy Evangelista at Strikeforce: Miami, but the fight was withdrawn after Evangelista suffered an undisclosed injury during training.[9]
Noons would then be scheduled to compete in a rematch against Charles Bennett at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum.[10] After Bennett pulled out of the fight due to scheduling conflicts, Noons was rescheduled to face Conor Heun at Strikeforce: Los Angeles in a catchweight bout of 160 lbs, which would take place ten days before the date he was originally set to rematch Bennett.[11] Noons would go on to win a closely contested fight by split decision with scores of 29-28, 27-30, and 29-28.[12]
Noons next faced Jorge Gurgel on August 21, 2010 at Strikeforce: Houston. At the weigh-ins, the day before the bout with Gurgel, Noons weighed in at 156.25 lbs, a quarter of a pound over the maximum weight limit. Gurgel accepted the fight and waived off the extra weight, so the fight was continued as a lightweight bout.[13] As the final seconds of the first round were coming to an end, Gurgel threw a flurry of punches while Noons responded with a left hook that landed and dropped Gurgel just a split second after the bell sounded at the end of the round. The crowd reacted to what appeared to be a late punch while a wobbled Gurgel was struggling to find his corner. Right at the opening bell for round number two, Noons landed a right hand followed by a left hook that dropped Gurgel to the canvas once again. Noons looked to the referee expecting a stoppage and received no response. As Noons then continued to land punches on Gurgel, he threw a knee that appeared to land to the head of a still downed opponent, finally prompting the referee to stop the fight. Replay showed that the knee Noons threw did not land, although Noons's foot tapped Gurgel on the chin as it followed through. Noons was declared the winner by KO at 0:19 of round number two.
Noons moved up one weight class to fight Nick Diaz in a grudge rematch for the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship on October 9, 2010. Noons and Diaz previously fought at EliteXC: Renegade where Noons won by TKO due to cuts.[14] Noons lost by unanimous decision (48-47, 49-47, 49-46), giving Noons his third career loss and first loss by decision. After the fight Noons revealed that he had sustained a broken jaw in the first round and a broken hand in the second.[15]
Noons faced Jorge Masvidal at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum.[16] Noons-Masvidal is set as a lightweight title eliminator, which will grant the winner of the bout a title shot against reigning Strikeforce lightweight champion, Gilbert Melendez. Originally headlining the preliminary card on HDNet, the bout was promoted to the Showtime portion of the main card after women's MMA superstar, Gina Carano, was pulled from the card. Noons would lose a unanimous decision.[17]
Noons then faced Billy Evangelista at Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal in December 2011.[18] He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Karl James Noons was given the nickname 'K.J.' due to his first and middle initials. Noons's first name comes from his father's first name, while his middle name comes from his grandfather's middle name.[19]
When not training for a fight, K.J. likes to enjoy the beach with his family, friends, and dogs. He also likes to surf, golf, and relax.[2] Noons is engaged to model, Melany Lorenzo,[20] who used to play for the San Diego Seduction in the Lingerie Football League.[21]
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 15 matches | 11 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 8 | 1 |
| By submission | 0 | 1 |
| By decision | 3 | 2 |
| Draws | 0 | |
| No contests | 0 | |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 11-4 | Billy Evangelista | Decision (unanimous) | Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal | December 17, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | San Diego, California, United States | |
| Loss | 10-4 | Jorge Masvidal | Decision (unanimous) | Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum | June 18, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Dallas, Texas, United States | Strikeforce Lightweight title eliminator. |
| Loss | 10–3 | Nick Diaz | Decision (unanimous) | Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons II | October 9, 2010 | 5 | 5:00 | San Jose, California, United States | For Strikeforce Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 10–2 | Jorge Gurgel | KO (punches) | Strikeforce: Houston | August 21, 2010 | 2 | 0:19 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 9–2 | Conor Heun | Decision (split) | Strikeforce: Los Angeles | June 16, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Los Angeles, California, United States | 160 lb catchweight bout. |
| Win | 8–2 | Andre Amade | Decision (unanimous) | Dream 13 | March 22, 2010 | 2 | 5:00 | Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan | 72 kg catchweight bout. |
| Win | 7–2 | Yves Edwards | TKO (punches and elbows) | EliteXC: Return of the King | June 14, 2008 | 1 | 0:48 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | Defended EliteXC Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 6–2 | Nick Diaz | TKO (doctor stoppage) | EliteXC: Renegade | November 10, 2007 | 1 | 5:00 | Corpus Christi, Texas, United States | Won inaugural EliteXC Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 5–2 | James Edson Berto | KO (knee) | ShoXC | July 27, 2007 | 3 | 0:45 | Santa Ynez, California, United States | |
| Loss | 4–2 | Charles Bennett | KO (punch) | EliteXC: Destiny | February 10, 2007 | 1 | 3:43 | Southaven, Mississippi, United States | |
| Win | 4–1 | Harris Sarmiento | TKO (punches) | ICON Sport 44: Opposites Attract | October 28, 2005 | 3 | 4:37 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| Win | 3–1 | Bryson Kamaka | KO (head kick) | Superbrawl 41: ICON | July 23, 2005 | 1 | 1:20 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | 165 lb catchweight bout. |
| Win | 2-1 | Malik Williams | TKO (punches) | Superbrawl 39: Destiny | April 9, 2005 | 1 | 2:43 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | Welterweight bout. |
| Loss | 1-1 | Buddy Clinton | Submission (heel hook) | Renegades Extreme Fighting | October 12, 2002 | 1 | 0:25 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 1-0 | Raul Guerra | TKO (corner stoppage) | Renegades Extreme Fighting | October 12, 2002 | 2 | N/A | Houston, Texas, United States |
| 11 Wins (5 knockouts, 6 decisions), 2 Losses, 0 Draws | |||||||
| Res. | Record | Opponnent | Type | Rd., Time | Date | Location | Notes |
| Win | 11-2 | Julio Perez | UD | 6 | 2009-10-10 | Arena Theatre, Houston, Texas | |
| Win | 10-2 | Randy Pogue | UD | 6 | 2009-08-22 | Pala Casino Spa and Resort, Pala, California | |
| Win | 9-2 | Enrique Gallegos | UD | 6 | 2009-05-28 | Arena Theatre, Houston, Texas | |
| Loss | 8-2 | James Countryman | UD | 6 | 2009-03-21 | U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio | |
| Win | 8-1 | Alejandro Bogarin | UD | 6 | 2008-11-13 | Expo Center, El Monte, California | |
| Win | 7-1 | Anthony Cannon | UD | 6 | 2007-06-01 | Chumash Casino, Santa Ynez, California | |
| Win | 6-1 | Roberto Estrada | TKO | 2 (6), 0:55 | 2006-09-15 | Quiet Cannon, Montebello, California | |
| Win | 5-1 | Velvet Malone | TKO | 4 (4), 1:01 | 2006-05-19 | Quiet Cannon, Montebello, California | |
| Loss | 4-1 | Daniel Stanislavjevic | UD | 6 | 2006-02-02 | Henry Fonda Theater, Hollywood, California | |
| Win | 4-0 | Damon Franklin | TKO | 3 (4), 1:24 | 2005-09-22 | Henry Fonda Theater, Hollywood, California | |
| Win | 3-0 | Thomas Rittenbaugh | UD | 4 | 2005-08-26 | Golden Acorn Casino, Campo, California | |
| Win | 2-0 | Ray Seja | TKO | 3 (4), 1:30 | 2005-06-17 | Table Mountain Casino, Friant, California | |
| Win | 1-0 | Ernest Lesure | TKO | 4 (4), 2:55 | 2004-06-18 | Dodge Arena, Hidalgo, Texas | Noons's professional debut. |
| Kickboxing Record | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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12 Wins (9 (T)KO's, 3 decisions), 2 Losses, 0 Draws
Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest Notes |
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| New championship | 1st EliteXC Lightweight Champion November 10, 2007 - September 19, 2008 |
Vacant
Noons stripped of title
Title next held by
EliteXC defunct on October 20, 2008 |