Diaz vs. Noons 2

Nick Diaz to face KJ Noons Strikeforce on Saturday, October 9th

On October 9th in Strikeforce San Jose's Diaz-Noons II promises to be just as fast-paced and short lived as the first fight back in late 2007, which Karl James Noons won due to doctor’s stoppage. It’s rare to see any Diaz brother in a snoozer, and Noons has a particular style that will again confound Nick Diaz, so it bodes to be an exciting match.

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In their first fight Noons gave Diaz fits with his stick and move tactics and his adherence to circling away from Nick’s power, such as it is. In that fight Diaz seemed to telegraph to Noons his shots and takedown attempts. The first cut, over Diaz’s eyelid,  was brought on by a perfectly timed knee on a takedown attempt that was so obvious it was as though Diaz had a neon sign on his forehead flashing “Knee face now."

Diaz typically peppers his opponents with great boxing and wears them down through accumulation, setting them up for takedowns where he applies stellar BJJ. None of this  worked against Noons in their first fight and won’t work this time either.  Think   Matt Hughes who, even through his ascent and reign  at the top, had two very quick, definitive losses to Dennis Hallman totalling 37 seconds. Some guys just have your number.

The speed and agility of Noons was a problem for Diaz, as it was for BJ Penn against Edgar.  Speed is a hard puzzle to solve. But Nick Diaz’s  difficulty in the first fight was primarily the danger he put himself in while attempting takedowns. Noons seemed to see every move in slow motion. Perhaps Diaz will try and keep this fight standing. Both Diaz brothers can shock fans with their ability to apply highly technical striking and take out opponents known for their stand up.

Diaz is on a 6 fight win streak since his loss to Noons,  but Noons is on a 6 fight win streak of his own. Noons will be confident and ready to counter any new strategy Diaz implements, especially where Diaz tries to get in the head of his opponent through trash talk. That won't matter to Noons now.

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I love Nick Diaz and his brother Nate, the style they’ve adopted and the fact that they’re from Compton, but Noons schooled him in their first match-up with speedy movement and slick tactics. Look for the same to happen in Diaz-Noons II.

But don’t worry about Diaz, a man who scares away thunderclouds with his perma-glare. He’ll be back, laying more beatings on more fighters before he can say  "Three-One-Oh, bitch.”

By Renko Styranka
ProFighting-fans.com Senior MMA Staff Writer