KJ Noons is a San Diego based fighter who trains out of the Arena in San Diego near the old San Diego Sports Arena, now the Valley View Casino Center.
Heading into last Saturday night’s match-up, KJ Noons was the popular favorite to best rising new comer Jorge Masvidal at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum. Noons, a former Elite-XC lightweight champion, professional boxer, and Strikeforce welterweight contender, was suppose to be the better striker. And was picked by many to defeat Masvidal and move on to face Gilbert Melendez for the Strikeforce lightweight title. However, popular opinion did not hold up to reality.
Masvidal defeat Noons in an extremely one-sided fight, where Noons suffered serious facial trauma and was physically dominated. In the beginning of the fight, Noons looked good. He was aggressive, stalking Masvidal across the cage and engaging him with boxing combinations. But Masvidal countered effectively using his muay thai to disrupt and damage Noons, who took heavy damage when the two fighters exchanged strikes. Noons was unable to adjust to his assorted attack, which included legs kicks, knee strikes, dirty boxing, and aggressive wrestling takedowns. And by the end of the fight, Noons was battered and bloodied, had to two severe hematomas, and was visible shaken by the defeat.
However, what is important to recognize from this fight is not just the dominance of Masvidal’s performance, but the limitations of using boxing as a fighter’s primary skill set. KJ Noons is a strong boxer. He has performed well in previous competitions and is one of the few MMA fighter’s that gets respect for his boxing technique in the boxing community. But, in MMA, a fighter must be able to defend against techniques that counter boxing favorably. Like, muay thai, wrestling, and judo.
During the fight, Noons would bob and weave underneath Masvidal’s punches, dipping low to nearly waist level to avoiding damage. This is a useful skill in a boxing match, but a problematic technique for an MMA fight. By dipping low and throwing strikes from a bent position, Noons left his upper body open to knee strikes and the clinch. And Masvidal took full advantage of this during the fight, landing his most damaging strikes of the fight, knees to the head.
Along with leaving himself open to knee strikes, Noons’ boxing base made him predictable and easy to manage in the cage. Masvidal merely had to rhino block Noons’ jabs, straights, hooks, and uppercuts and wait for his opportunity to counter. This in turn also made Noons vulnerable defensively. By relying solely on boxing to engage Masvidal, Noons was not able to adequately defend against leg strikes, takedowns, and judo trips. Masvidal was able to impose his will, dominate Noons with his unpredictable attack, and win the fight decisively.
Noons is a courageous, tough fighter. He has been in many wars and has competed with some of the most respected fighters in MMA, including Nick Diaz and Yves Edwards. But for Noons to compete in the modern era, he will have to broaden his striking abilities and defensive skills. Otherwise, he will struggle against the sports growing list of well-rounded fighters in MMA and the lightweight division. Otherwise, warriors like Gilbert Melendez, Anthony Pettis, Jim Miller, and Frankie Edgar may prove too hard to handle should he face them in the future or maintain his dreams of becoming a world champion.
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