by MMAjunkie.com
The ongoing feud with EliteXC and its 160-pound champion took another step forward today, as EliteXC Head of Fight Operations Jeremy Lappen announced that Noons would be immediately stripped of his title.
The announcement was posted on the organization's official website.
"We are stripping KJ of his championship belt for refusing to defend against (Nick) Diaz," Lappen said in the statement. "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."
The move by EliteXC is the latest in a battle of public statements and staunch positioning.
EliteXC has maintained throughout the affair that Noons and his manager, Mark Dion, have avoided calls from the organization and made scheduling a title defense for Noons impossible.
Dion has argued that Noons is not being fairly compensated by EliteXC, and that Noons wants to face more-deserving title contenders than Diaz.
Lappen said he was confused as to why Noons would refuse the bout -- especially when it was proposed as a network-television-broadcast main event.
"I don't understand why [Noons] would turn down a chance to be a headliner on CBS on Oct. 4," Lappen said in the statement. "KJ then turned down the fight again when we offered him a headlining spot on our next Showtime date against Nick. From my view, it is a fight against a top-named opponent in Diaz (someone who beat the No. 1 fighter in the world in his weight class), a fighter KJ has bad blood with and a fight the fans really wanted to see. It seemed like a great opportunity for KJ to me."
While the differences between the two camps are still unresolved, Lappen said he hopes the two can reach an agreement in the near future.
"Personally, I do not think it was a smart career move, but I'm sure [Noons] sees it differently," Lappen said. "KJ has two more fights remaining on his contract, so we are still looking forward to having him fight for us again soon, but not as our world champion."
