The California native made his mark in MMA when he defeated Nick Diaz in 2007 to capture the EliteXC Lightweight title; a result that shocked MMA fans. He followed this up by defending the title by destroying MMA veteran Yves Edwards, proving he had potential. Noons went on to enjoy mixed success in Strikeforce, where his highlight was fighting Diaz for the third time in a rubber match for the Strikeforce Lightweight Title. Diaz won a widespread decision and to be honest, KJ has never found any major success since then. He took on Ryan Couture at Strikeforce's final event and though the fight was very close, Noons would lose a split decision. He was still picked up by the UFC though, and was scheduled to fight Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone at UFC 160 for his first fight; ultimately losing a unanimous decision. Since his UFC debut Noons has compiled a 2-2 record with 1 no contest. The talented boxer can hang with most on the feet but his ground game never really evolved to the level needed to compete with the elite of the division as we can see by his fights against talented grapplers. Now a middle of the pack fighter without any chance of holding a UFC title in the future, retirement looks likely for Noons or alternatively exploring the MMA market elsewhere. That said, he has provided some exciting match ups over the years and his boxing has always been a pleasure to watch from a technical standpoint. Whether Noons retires, signs for another MMA promotion or goes back to professional boxing he will be remembered by MMA fans for his trilogy with Nick Diaz and for his crisp striking.
