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FIGHTER BIO: Seth Kleinbeck (Nov07)

team — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 1:24:00 PDT

FIGHTER’S NAME: Dr. SETH KLEINBECK

Nickname: Mass Destruction

Height: 6’0’’

Fighting Weight: 185 lbs.

Weight Before Cutting: 205 lbs.

Birthdate: 7/25/73

Age: 33

Birthplace: Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Resides and fights out of: Stuttgart, Arkansas

MMA Record: 8-3

Wins: 8 (T)KOs.

Losses: 2 decision and 1 submission.

Fight Team: West Little Rock Kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Head Trainers: Matt Hamilton and Rob Del Gado

Fighting Style: Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai

Bio: On the surface, Seth Kleinbeck seems like a normal guy; he's been married for 16 years and has two kids and is a licensed physician who practices family and ER medicine. But in reality, Kleinbeck is anything but normal. Known to his patients as Dr. Kleinbeck, he's known by his alter-ego of "Mass Destruction" to mixed martial arts fans around the world. With a combined amateur and pro MMA record of 14-3, his patients might be shocked to see his lack of "bedside manner" when he's competing inside the cage.

Storyline:

· Kleinbeck is a busy man. In addition to having a wife and two kids, he's also a practicing physician. In his spare time, he trains MMA but the gym he trains at is an hour commute. If Kleinbeck continues to move up the middleweight ladder in EliteXC will he be able to maintain his double life?

Fight History:

· Fought in his first televised match during Showtime's ShoXC on August 25, 2007 and recorded a TKO victory over Jaime Jara at 4:59 of round 2.

· Kleinbeck made his pro MMA debut on April 21, 2005 at Full Throttle 1, knocking out Jake Shelton at 0:09 of round one.

· Has an amateur record of 6-0 with one of his amateur wins coming against current UFC middleweight Alan Belcher. Kleinbeck knocked Belcher out in 15 second of round one when they met.

· Began his career 2-0.

· All of his wins have been via TKO or KO. Of his 10 career fights, only once has he gone to a decision.

· Notable wins: Fought on the Shamrock vs. Baroni undercard on June 22 and recorded a TKO victory over Sam Spengler at 2:55 of round two; recorded a first round TKO over Trevor Garrett at No Love Entertainment’s Ultimate Fright Night on October 28, 2006; and recorded a TKO at 2:54 of round one over Timothy Williams at Diesel Fighting Championships 1 on June 30, 2006

· Notable loss: Submitted to UFC fighter Josh Haynes due to rear naked choke at 1:16 of round two at Freestyle Fighting Championship 15 on Sept. 15, 2005 and suffered a unanimous decision loss to John Kolosci from the sixth season of The Ultimate Fighter at Duneland Classic 4 on June 17, 2006.

Scouting Report:

Strengths…

· Very strong leg kicks that he utilizes early and often in fights.

· His ground and pound skills are excellent. Kleinbeck is good at finishing grounded opponents with strikes.

· Possesses knockout power with his right hand. Has great overall strength.

· Is a very good scrambler who has shown to have good takedown defense.

Weaknesses…

· There's a tendency for him to leave himself susceptible to takedowns when he follows through on his leg kicks.

· Needs to be more relaxed when he fights. Has a tendency of being impatient and that has cost him from a tactical perspective.

Personal:

· Because of his last name has been referred to as being a Jewish fighter. He's not Jewish and is of German heritage.

· Served in the United States Marine corps. for nearly a year.

· Worked construction in order to save up tuition money.

FIGHTER BIO: Phil Baroni (June07)

team — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 1:21:00 PDT

FIGHTER’S NAME: Phil Baroni

Nickname: NYBA "New York Bad Ass"

Height: 5’10”

Weight: 185 lbs.

Date of Birth: 4/16/77 (30 years old)

Home: Long Island, New York

Discipline: Boxing and Wrestling

Gym Affiliation: Hammer House

Professional Fighting Record: 10-7

The roles of hero and villain have long been prevalent and added a theatric effect to the world of professional sports. Simply put, there are athletes that fans love and others that the public simply loves to hate.

The name Phil Baroni resides somewhere in a grey area when it comes to characterizing the public’s perception of the 30-year-old boxer and wrestler. Boisterous and outspoken, the self proclaimed “New York Badass” is seen as cocky and disrespectful by some, but as a passionate inspiration by others who feel they identify with him.

The Long Island, New York native’s pull-no-punches approach to his profession has certainly paid him dividends as Baroni enjoyed one of the quickest rises to stardom in the history of mixed martial arts. On September 27, 2002, only half a dozen bouts into his career, the hard-nosed, muscular brawler demonstrated his dangerous knockout power as he stopped former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight king, Dave Menne, in a mere 18 seconds after stunning Menne with a barrage of punches inside the UFC’s octagon.

Baroni’s recent leap to the Japan-based Pride Fighting Championship has allowed him to expand his fanbase overseas as he has punched and kicked his way to victory four times, once over heralded Japanese native Yuki Kondo, a veteran of over 60 professional matchups.

The transition to a new, world-renowned fight promotion also afforded the vibrant star the opportunity to discover a new mentor in former Pride and UFC heavyweight champion, Mark “The Hammer” Coleman. The newest member of “Team Hammerhouse” has since raised his skill level to unprecedented heights while training with Coleman and the likes of fellow team member, Kevin “The Monster” Randleman.

A graduate of Central Michigan University, Baroni wrestled for his alma mater while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Before making his debut in the sport of mixed martial arts, Baroni put together undefeated records in both boxing where he was victorious in twelve consecutive bouts and kickboxing where he reeled off seven straight wins.

FIGHTER BIO: Paul Buentello (June07)

team — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 1:19:02 PDT

PAUL BUENTELLO

Height: 6’2” Weight: 245 lbs. Date of Birth: 1/16/74 (33 years old)

Home: Amarillo, Texas

Discipline: Kickboxing

Gym Affiliation: American Kickboxing Academy

Professional Fighting Record: 22-8

The American Dream is often been spoken about as a vehicle that motivates people to achieve success. For the last five years, Paul Buentello has been living his version of the dream by steadily climbing up mixed martial arts’ highly competitive heavyweight ladder.

Buentello’s story is reminiscent of others who have made life-altering sacrifices in order to reach their goals. The lack of a sophisticated training center anywhere near his home in Amarillo, Texas left the aspiring champion short of training partners and proper coaching thirteen years ago when he initially tackled the fight world by competing in Pancration style bouts.

In his first official mixed martial arts contest, a single-elimination format tournament sanctioned by the International Fighting Championship (IFC), Buentello reached the championship round before losing to 6 foot 10 inch Gan “The Giant” McGee.

Following his technical knockout victory over Larry Parker in his next start for the IFC, Buentello suffered a downward spiral, suffering three straight defeats. It was shortly after the third loss that the heavyweight fighter realized he would have to relocate to a place where he could prepare properly for future fights or risk the likelihood of being forced into an early retirement.

Refusing to abandon his career goals, Buentello ventured to San Jose, California, the home of celebrated mixed martial arts training center, American Kickboxing Academy (AKA). The commitment required him to leave a steady contracting job as well as his family, including a three year old daughter.

Since being taken under the wing of AKA head trainer, “Crazy” Bob Cook, Buentello has reaped a substantial payoff from his risky transition. After scoring a technical knockout win by way of strikes in his first start under Cook’s supervision, Buentello was signed to a three-fight contract with King Of The Cage. The stint with the prominent west coast promotion saw Buentello score a thunderous, second round knockout of highly touted Mike “Mak” Kyle and, later, avenge a previous defeat he had sustained at the hands of Bobby Hoffman when he forced Hoffman into submission on November 2, 2003.

Buentello’s success with King Of The Cage caught the attention of the UFC, which has since utilized the heavyweight on four different occasions. Buentello has been successful in three of his four starts in the octagon. His single UFC loss came at the hands of then-heavyweight champion, Andrei Arlovski.

FIGHTER BIO: Nick Diaz

team — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 1:16:00 PDT

FIGHTER’S NAME: NICK DIAZ

Nickname: Diablo (the nickname is rarely used, if ever)

Height: 6'0'' Fighting Weight: 160 lbs. Regular Weight: 175 lbs.

Birthdate: August 2, 1983 Age: 24

Born, Raised, and Fighting out of: Stockton, Calif.

MMA Record: *15-6 (plus one no contest). The Cesar Gracie camp considers Diaz to be 16-6. NSAC ruled the Gomi right a no contest after Diaz tested positive for marijuana but Gracie's camp believes the decision to overturn was political (they accuse NSAC of favoring the UFC and its business interests). Gracie refers to the fact that PRIDE recognizes the Gomi fight as a win for Diaz even after NSAC's ruling as an argument as to why others should refer to it as a win as well.

Wins: 7 (T)KOs; 5 submissions; and 3 decisions. Losses: 5 decisions and 1 (T)KO.

Pro Boxing Record: 1-0 (1 win via dec.)

Fight Team: Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy Head Trainer: Cesar Gracie

Fighting Style: Boxing/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Bio: Born in Stockton, California on August 2, 1998, Nicholas Robert Diaz experienced a rough childhood and grew up without the presence of his biological father. Despite being a high school dropout, Diaz used athletics as an escape before leaving school. He was a member of the Tokay High School (in Lodi, Calif.) swim team, which set the stage for his strong conditioning. He turned to martial arts after being bullied by teenagers that were larger than him.

It would be interesting to know the current status of those bullies, as Diaz has gone on to become one of the most dangerous pound-for-pound mixed martial artists in the world, combing world class Jiu-Jitsu skills with lethal striking abilities. Fighting since the age of 19, Diaz is only 24 despite already having 20 fights on his resume. He's taken on some of the best fighters in the world and stood toe-to-toe with them all, including the likes of Karo Parisyan, Diego Sanchez, Robbie Lawler, Sean Sherk, and Takanori Gomi.

It was his win against Gomi which garnered Diaz the most attention he's ever received for a performance in a fight. At PRIDE 33 in Las Vegas this past February, Diaz stood toe-to-toe with Gomi and got the better of the standup game. Gomi, considered the best striker in the world at 161 lbs., was no match for Diaz on his feet and even resorted to trying to take the fight to the ground. After blasting Gomi with punches for 5-plus minutes, Diaz submitted him with a gogoplata at 1:46 of round 2, pulling off one of the biggest upsets in MMA of the year.

Outside of MMA, Diaz has pursued excellence in other athletic fields. He won the U.S. Jiu-Jitsu Purple Belt Open in 2004 and a Pan American Brown Belt Medium Weight Division title in 2005; he made his professional boxing debut against Alfonso Rocha in April of 2005 and won via unanimous decision; he also competes in triathlons. His most recent full triathlon: On Aug. 4, 2007 Nick placed third in his age group in the Vineman Ironman Triathlon in Southern California. (IronMan is a grueling 2.4 mile swim followed by a 112 mile bike ride and then a 26 mile run).

Storylines:

· With PRIDE pretty much defunct and Gomi a free agent, might a win here by Diaz possibly set the stage for a rematch against Gomi that could possibly take place inside of an EliteXC cage?

· Diaz and Noons will be competing for the distinction of being forever known as the first-ever EliteXC lightweight (160 lbs.) champion.

Fight History:

· Last fight was a split decision victory over Mike Aina during EliteXC "Uprising" in Hawaii on September 15, 2007.

· Former IFC U.S. welterweight champion.

· Former WEC welterweight champion.

· Boasts a lifetime UFC record of 6-4 (which is even more impressive when you consider the level of competition they threw at him).

· Made his pro MMA debut at the age of 18 on August 31, 2001 when he submitted Mike Wick with a triangle choke at 3:43 of round 1 at IFC: Warriors Challenge 15.

· Notable No Contest: Submitted Takanori Gomi with a gogoplata at 1:46 of round 2 during PRIDE 33 in Las Vegas on February 24, 2007. The decision was overturned after Diaz failed a drug test having tested positive for high levels of THC (marijuana).

· Notable Wins: Won a three round decision against Chris Lytle at IFC Warriors Challenge 17 on July 12, 2002; won the WEC welterweight title when he submitted Joe Hurley with a Kimura at 1:55 of round 1 at WEC 6 on March 27, 2003; KO'd "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler at 1:31 of round 2 at UFC 42 on April 4, 2004; recorded a TKO victory over Drew Fickett at 4:40 of round 1 at UFC 51 on February 5, 2005; won a three round decision victory over Ray Steinbeiss at ICFO 1 on May 13, 2006; submitted Josh Neer with a Kimura at 1:42 of round 3 at UFC 62 on August 26, 2006.

· Notable Losses: Lost a three round split decision to Kuniyoshi Hironaka while fighting for the Shooto promotion in Japan on December 14, 2002; lost a split decision to Karo Parisyan at UFC 49 on August 21, 2004; lost a unanimous decision to Diego Sanchez on November 5, 2005 during the live season finale of The Ultimate Fighter 2; lost a unanimous decision to Joe Riggs at UFC 57 on February 4, 2006; and lost a unanimous decision to Sean Sherk at UFC 59 on April 15, 2006.

Scouting Report:

Strengths…

· Very lanky fighter for the 160-170 pound weight class and possesses a great reach.

· His Jiu-Jitsu is world class. One of only two people to ever receive a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu from head trainer Cesar Gracie (David Terrell is the other). His favorite submission is the Kimura but Diaz showed against Gomi that he knows just about all the holds when he tapped him with a gogoplata.

· Can finish an opponent with his Jiu-Jitsu while in top position and also while in bottom position. His ground and pound is also another option in which Diaz can elect to finish a fight. He could be on the verge of becoming a complete fighter.

· Has competed professional as a boxer and his standup has improved greatly over the past few years. He showed vs. Gomi last February that he can stand with anyone in his weight class.

· He's very lean so the power in his hands that he possesses is very deceptive.

· His cardio is not an issue. Diaz competes in IronMan triathalons.

Weaknesses…

· Is a very emotional fighter who has a tendency to make mental errors at crucial times during his bout.

· While his standup is strong, his ground game is even better. Yet there have been times when Diaz relied too much on his standup just to prove a point when he possibly could have taken a fight to the ground and finish an opponent.

· Has been plagued by inconsistency throughout his career, which was a major reason why the UFC released him from his contract during the spring of 2006. As much as he's accomplished, he's capable of even more. Diaz is a fighter with the potential to be a top five pound-for-pound fighter in the world and he's not living up to that promise.

· Needs to become a better defensive standup fighter. Has a tendency to mis-judge his range and stands too close with shorter fighters and takes on unnecessary contact.

· His wrestling has improved a lot but could always stand to improve more.

Personal/Factoid:

· Younger brother Nate Diaz was added to the UFC roster after winning the lightweight tournament final of the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter.

· Little known fact: Diaz was not the original choice for Takanori Gomi at PRIDE 33. PRIDE had tried to schedule a match between Gomi and Duane "Bang" Ludwig but Ludwig never formally signed for the fight after he couldn't get off the card of a local Colorado show. Diaz had been scheduled to fight for the Gracie Fighting Championships against Thomas Denny in January but the show was cancelled due to poor ticket sales and PRIDE seized the opportunity to sign Diaz to fight Gomi almost immediately after word of the cancellation was leaked.

· Has trained with former WBA and WBC World Champion Luisita Espinosa.

· Holds a victory over renowned grappler Jorge Pantino in Jiu-Jitsu competition.

· Is known for tracking down the e-mail addresses of his opponents and taunting them electronically leading up to their fight.

· Along those same lines, reportedly also got into a fight with Joe Riggs at a Las Vegas area hospital following their fight at UFC 57.

· Diaz's gogoplata on Gomi was technically only the second ever successful gogoplata in PRIDE's storied history (Shinya Aoki tapped Joachim Hansen two months earlier during PRIDE's New Year's Eve event).

FIGHTER BIO: Mike Pyle (Nov07)

team — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 1:12:00 PDT

FIGHTER’S NAME: MIKE PYLE

Fighter's Nickname: Quicksand

Height: 6'1'' Fighting Weight: 170 lbs. Weight Cutting From: 190 lbs.

Birthdate: 9/18/75 Age: 32

Born: Dresden, TN Resides and fights out of: Las Vegas, NV

MMA Record: 14-4-1 Wins: 11 submissions, 2 (T)KOs, and 1 decision.

Losses: 2 submissions, 1 (T)KO, and 1 decision.

Fight Team: Xtreme Couture Head Trainer: Randy Couture

Fighting Style: Mixed Martial Artist

Bio: A ten-year veteran of the sport, Mike Pyle is the pure definition of a mixed martial artist. While there is no single facet of his game that stands out, Pyle is a capable fighter with the ability to compete in any environment. It's not uncommon for him to display strong takedown and offensive ground skills against an opponent who has a suspect standup game, or utilize his takedown defense to keep a fight standing if he's competing against a fighter with a strong ground game.

The grizzled vet is a no-nonsense guy with few interests outside of fighting, making it no surprise that he's one of the most respected fighters at Randy Couture's Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas.

Storyline: This fight was originally supposed to be for the EliteXC welterweight title but Mike Pyle declined the option of fighting for the title.

Fight History (titles held):

· 2-0 lifetime in EliteXC; 1-2 lifetime in the IFL; and 2-0 lifetime in the WEC.

· Fought to a draw against Andrei Semenov during M-1 Mixed Fighting Champions "Russia vs. the World 5" on April 6, 2003.

· Notable Wins: Last fight was a unanimous decision victory over Aaron Wetherspoon on the undercard of the Frank Shamrock vs. Phil Baroni show on June 22, 2007; defeated Ross Ebanez on the first EliteXC show on February 10, 2007 when he submitted Ebanez with a rear naked choke at 1:55 of round 1; submitted UFC veteran Shonie Carter with a triangle choke at 2:06 of round 1 at WEC 18 on January 13, 2006; and submitted Jon Fitch with a rear naked choke at 2:35 of round 1 at Revolution Fighting Championship 1 on July 13, 2002.

· Notable Losses: Submitted to Matt Horwich via rear naked choke at 1:02 of round 2 during the IFL World Championship Semifinals on November 2, 2006 and was knocked out my Rory Markham at 0:44 of round 1 during the IFL Legends Championship show on April 29, 2006; submitted to Valdas Pocevicius due guillotine choke in round 1 at "Shooto Lithuania - King of Bushido Stage 1" on November 14, 2003.

Scouting Report:

Strengths…

· Has fought against top competition and been successful against them.

· Very good (but not great) Jiu-Jitsu skills that translate well to MMA conditions.

· Pyle is a well-rounded fighter who looks to take a fight wherever he perceives his opponent to be weak at.

Weaknesses…

· Pyle is good at a lot of things, but not great at any one aspect of MMA. Based on this, he's been able to achieve a respectable amount of success but has never been able to rise to MMA's upper-echelon.

Personal/Factoid:

· Has been training MMA for ten years.

FIGHTER BIO: Kyle Noke (Nov07)

team — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 1:08:49 PDT

FIGHTER’S NAME: KYLE NOKE

Last name rhymes with Yoke
Fighter's Nickname: K.O.

Height: 6'2'' Fighting Weight: 185 lbs. Weight Cutting From: 200 lbs.

Birthdate: March 18, 1980 Age: 27

Born: Sydney, Australia Resides: Queensland, Australia

Fighting out of: Brisbane, Australia

MMA Record: 13-3-1 Wins: 5 (T)KOs; 4 submissions; and 4 decisions

Losses: 2 decisions and 1 submission

Fight Teams: Jackson's Submission Fighting/Integrated Martial Arts of Australia

Head Trainers: Dan Higgins and Greg Jackson

Fighting Style: Muay Thai/Jiu-Jitsu

Bio: Noke is considered by some pundits to be the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in Australia, a country that has produced the likes of former UFC fighter Elvis Sinosic and current TUF 6 castmember George Sotiropoulos. Born in Sydney, he first got involved in MMA at the age of 22 when a friend dragged him to a class. He instantly fell in love with the sport and has been training ever since.

Training under his idol and mentor, Dan Higgins, Noke has held titles in multiple weight classes in Australia and has his sets on following in Higgins' footsteps, considered by some to be the greatest Australian mixed martial artist to ever compete in the United States. Higgins and Noke spend their days training at the Australian Zoo, which was started by the late Steve Irwin.

Noke considers himself close to the Irwin family; so close that the Irwin family built an MMA cage for him so that he could train full-time while working at the Zoo as a security guard. Members of the Irwin family have even participated in Noke's training.

The affable Aussie has his sights on the U.S. and will be fighting on American soil for the first time ever when he squares off against Seth Kleinbeck during EliteXC: Renegade on Nov. 10 in Corpus Christi, Texas. While Noke will be a long way from home, he will not be fighting alone. He's spent the last three weeks training at renowned fight trainer Greg Jackson's gym in Albuquerque, New Mexico and will be cornered during his U.S. debut by Jackson and top EliteXC middleweight contender Joey Villasenor.

Storyline: Noke is the best MMA fighter that Australia has to offer. Many of his of countrymen will be watching his performance closely to see how he performs on a high-level MMA show. MMA is not as popular in Australia as it is in the U.S., but it's growing. Signed to a three fight contract with EliteXC, Noke could help grow the sport further back home by becoming a star in the U.S. and at the same time open the door for more Australian fighters to fight on national television in the U.S.

Fight History:

· Fought to a draw with top Judoka and former PRIDE fighter Hector Lombard at Cage Fighting Championships 1 on July 28, 2007.

· Notable Wins: Won a five-round decision victory over Brian Ebersole at Xtreme Fighting Championships 12 on October 13, 2006; won a decision victory over Byron Donnelly at Warriors Realm 4 on July 2, 2005; won a decision over George Sotiropoulos from sixth season of The Ultimate Fighter at Warriors Realm 4 on July 2, 2005; defeated Luke Pezutti via TKO (doctor's stoppage) at Warriors Realm 3 on March 12, 2005.

· Notable Losses: Lost a rematch to George Sotiropoulos from TUF 6 via decision at Warriors Realm 5 on February 25, 2006; suffered a decision loss to Katsuya Inoue at Warriors Realm 2 on December 10, 2004; submitted to Noriyuki Hayakawa at 1:33 of round 3 at Xtreme Fighting Championships 3 on November 14, 2003.

· Has held titles in multiple weight classes in Australia. Was a welterweight champ in both the Xtreme Fighting Championships and Warriors Realm promotions and is XFC's current middleweight champion.

Scouting Report:

Strengths…

· Very well conditioned athlete.

· A well-rounded fighter who does not have any glaring weaknesses. In watching his fights, it's hard to say whether he's a standup fighter or a submission fighter.

· Is a good striker when locked in an opponent's guard. He throws some very good elbows.

Weaknesses…

· Is primarily a counter fighter who can appear tentative at times.

· While he does a lot of things well with no obvious flaws in his game, there really isn't an aspect of MMA where he can be categorized as being truly great.

· Nine of his wins have come by early finish but it remains to be seen if Noke can finish top-level competitors.

· The nickname of "K.O." is misleading. Noke is a good combination striker but does not possess a lot of power. He's actually indifferent towards the nickname and it sounds like something promoters tried to attach to his name for marketing purposes.

· Has fought a lot of 170 and might be undersized for 185 lbs. Last three fights have been at 185 lbs. though.

Personal/Factoid:

· Grew up in a country town in Australia.

· While he's never fought in the U.S., he's done five training tours in the States.

· Will be cornered by Greg Jackson and Joey Villasenor.

FIGHTER BIO: KJ Noons (Sept07)

team — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 1:05:24 PDT

FIGHTER’S NAME: KARL JAMES NOONS

Commonly referred to as K.J. Noons/Nickname: King Karl

Height: 5’10’’ Fighting Weight: 155 lbs. Weight before cutting: 170 lbs.

Birthdate: 12/7/82 Age: 24

Raised: Kailua-Kona, Hawaii Resides: San Diego, Calif.

MMA Record: 4-1 Boxing Record: 8-1 (6 KOs) Kickboxing Record: 13-1 (10 KOs)

MMA Wins: 4 (T)KOs. MMA Loss: 1 KO

Fight Team: City Boxing Head trainer: Mark Dion

Fighting Style: Boxer/Freestyle

Storyline:

· Nick Diaz is no stranger to being involved with upsets, having submitted Takanori Gomi in a PRIDE ring in Vegas earlier this year. He was almost on the opposite end of an upset during a win over Mike Aina on Sept. 15 that many considered uninspiring. Can Noons pull off an upset victory over Diaz and become EliteXC's first-ever lightweight champion?

Fight History:

· Last fight was a knockout (knee) victory over Edson Berto at 0:45 of round three during a ShoXC card on July 27, 2007.

· Attended auditions in 2004 for PRIDE in Los Angeles and was one of only four fighters selected by PRIDE during the auditions. He won the award for best striker. Signed a one-year developmental deal with PRIDE and they spent time building him up. His contract ended after a year when Noons and Pride couldn’t agree on new terms.

· Made his true MMA debut on April 9, 2005 for the Superbrawl/Icon Sport promotion and defeated Malik Williams via TKO at 2:23 in the first round.

· Has fought three times for the Superbrawl/Icon Sport promotion based in Hawaii. Is 3-0 lifetime for Icon with wins over Williams, Bryson Kamaka (7/23/05), and Harris Sarmiento (10/28/05).

· MMA sites such as Sherdog list Noons’ MMA record as 5-2 but two of the fights attributed to his MMA record were under Pancration-style (open hand) rules in 2002. Did not technically fight in a match under universal MMA rules until 2005.

· Fought his first Pancration-style fight on October 12, 2002 fighting for Renegades Extreme Fighting. Was awarded a TKO victory in the second round against Raul Guerra following a corner stoppage.

· Suffered his first pro Pancration loss the same night in his second-ever bout when he submitted to a heel hook from Buddy Clinton at 0:25 in the first round while fighting for Renegades Extreme Fighting on October 12, 2002. Submitting to a heel hook is notable because that is perhaps Edson Berto’s best submission hold.

Scouting Report:

Strengths…

· Is a pro boxer and is very skilled with his hands. His punches are compact and technically sound. Is both quick and powerful.

· Very good counter and combination puncher

· In addition to good boxing skills, is also a strong kickboxer having trained extensively both in kickboxing and Muay Thai.

· Fights out of an orthodox (right-handed) stance but has excellent coordination with the left side of his body. He throws a good left hook and a good left lead kick.

· Can deliver a right high kick that has knockout power.

Weaknesses…

Only has six pro MMA fights under his belt. He’s a strong prospect who would obviously benefit from more “cage time.” As things are, his “cage generalship” skills are unproven.

Trains hard on his jiu-jitsu skills but even Noons identifies it as the greatest area of improvement in his game.

· Has been focusing on trying to establish himself as both a pro boxer and professional mixed martial artist. One could make the case that Noons could benefit by focusing on just MMA and building up more “cage generalship.”

· Stemming from his boxing training, has a tendency to hold his lead leg out too far in his stance. It makes him susceptible to kicks to his lower legs but the fighters he has faced have yet to expose the flaw.

Factoid:

· Was trained at one point by Rudy Valentino. Valentino has served in the past as a trainer to B.J. Penn.

· “I really like K.J. a lot. He's all fighter. The reason I wanted to improve my standup was because of K.J. Noons and just watching him fight and train.” – Former training partner Brandon Vera during a July interview on MMANews.com. Vera cornered Noons for the inaugural EliteXC event.

FIGHTER BIO: Kimbo Slice (Nov07)

team — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 1:03:00 PDT

FIGHTER’S NAME: KIMBO SLICE

Real Name: Kevin Ferguson

Height: 6'2''

Fighting Weight: 265 lbs.

Weight Cutting From: 250 lbs.

Birthdate: February 8, 1974

Age: 33

Born: Nassau, Bahamas

Resides and fights out of: Miami, Florida

MMA Record: 0-0*

Note: Slice fought professional boxer Ray Mercer in an MMA rules match for the Cage Fury Fighting Championships on June 23, 2007. He defeated Mercer with a guillotine choke at 1:12 of round 1. Despite the fight being contested in a cage and under MMA rules, the New Jersey State Athletic control board ruled the match as an exhibition and thus, does not count towards Slice's official record.

Fight Team: Team Kimbo

Head Trainer: Bas Rutten

Fighting Style: Brawler

Bio: Kimbo Slice is a throwback to the early days of organized mixed martial arts in the U.S. during a time when you didn't need necessarily need a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu, amateur wrestling credentials, or a K-1 striking background in order to be a major player. While many fighters in MMA have paid their dues in the gym, Slice paid his on the street by fighting for cash in unsanctioned street fights, many of which were filmed and distributed via the Internet on YouTube.

Through the power of the Internet, Slice went from being an anonymous backyard brawler to being a multi-media superstar almost seemingly overnight. With a rabid fanbase that was growing exponentially, many of Slice's fans would go to mixed martial arts message boards proposing "dream matches" against legitimate fighters from the world of sanctioned fighting. Slice's legend grew and promoters became intrigued by the idea of luring him into MMA.

A star varsity football player at Miami Palmetto High School, Slice eventually began working in the security field as a bouncer and also as a bodyguard. It was while working as bodyguard for RK Netmedia in which he would get his big break at Internet stardom.

RK Netmedia is a Miami-based video production/promotion company. RK learned that Slice was fighting in scheduled non-sanctioned street fights for cash. Soon after hearing about Kimbo’s fights an idea was worn to record a fight and show it on the Internet. These fights involved little technique and were primarily brawls but Slice showed tremendous proficiency with his hands and dominated many of his on-camera opponents. The Internet clips became a hit and more fights were arranged as Kimbo’s legend grew.

With his popularity at an all-time high, Cage Fury Fighting Championships promoter Felix Martinez secured a multi-fight contract with Slice to bring him into the world of sanctioned mixed martial arts. Slice fought in an MMA-rules exhibition match in Atlantic City, NJ on June 23, 2007 and submitted professional boxer Ray Mercer with a guillotine choke at 1:12 of round one.

Following his win over Mercer, Slice was involved in a post-fight staredown with Tank Abbott, who was hosted at the event by CFFC organizers. Soon after the planned staredown, a match between the two street fighting legends was scheduled for October 11 in Atlantic City. However, the match never took place and organizers canceled the card a week before it was to take place. Slice became a free agent as a result of the cancellation and was signed to a multi-fight contract by EliteXC soon after hitting the open market.

Storyline:

Kimbo Slice is a new-age American success story. Thanks to the power of the Internet, he's evolved from cult street fighting icon to a well-compensated star in the sanctioned world of mixed martial arts. As popular as Slice is, he will be exposed to an even larger audience via Showtime. Slice has the skills and personality to become a multi-media star through MMA, but in order to make it big he has to win. Will the Kimbo Slice express train continue to build momentum, or will the heavy hands of Bo Cantrell derail it for good and relegate Slice back to the streets?

Notable Wins:

· Defeated professional boxer Ray Mercer in an MMA exhibition at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 5 on June 23, 2007. Slice won via guillotine choke at 1:12 of round one.

Notable Losses:

· Was defeated in an unsanctioned, but documented, street fight by Sean Gannon in September of 2003. Gannon is a former police officer from Boston who trains MMA. Gannon would later go on to fight in the UFC but only lasted one fight. Many believe that he was granted a shot to fight in the UFC based largely on his win over Slice.

Scouting Report:

Strengths…

· Many critics try to discount Slice's ability because of his street fighting background but the man has gifted hands. He possesses strong punching power and his hand speed is especially underrated.

· Proved countless times in his street fighting videos that he can take a punch... and then some.

· Has been very impressionable while working with Bas Rutten and his other trainers. Slice did not enter MMA training with an ego or a belief that his street fighting style was superior. He has taken to his trainers teachings like a sponge and even utilized a takedown and a choke to defeat Ray Mercer in his first fight when everyone assumed the fight had no chance of hitting the ground.

· Listens to his corner's instruction and will follow their gameplan.

Weaknesses…

· Slice has worked on his ground game but it's still a work in progress. He has the ability to execute basic submissions in a match but is still far from a technical grappler who can put moves together to work a submission. If the submission isn't "out there," it will be hard for him to tap an opponent.

· While some of his Internet fights are long in duration, a common theme was that Slice would lose steam in many of them before getting a second wind. He's been training hard with Rutten but his cardio is still an area of concern until he proves otherwise in an MMA match.

· With just one MMA exhibition match to his credit, Slice is woefully inexperienced when it comes to fighting sanctioned MMA fighting. He showed some "cage generalship" by putting Mercer against the fence after his takedown but Mercer had no MMA match experience either. How will Slice fare against a more experienced fighter such as Cantrell?

Personal/Factoid:

· It has been reported that Slice is the cousin of Olympic Judoka Rhadi Ferguson. However, when asked to confirm whether that was true during a conference call conducted on Oct. 31, Slice did not answer the question definitively but indicated that he's never met Ferguson. According to Kimbo’s manager, Mike Ember, Kimbo doesn’t know one way or the other whether he’s related to Rhadi.

· Slice's birthname is Kevin Ferguson. "Kimbo" is a nickname since childhood and "Slice" was taken as his last name as a tribute to his fans, who coined the moniker after watching one of his street fights in which he caused a large gash to the left side of one of his opponent's face. The gash was referred to as a "slice" and applied by many as Kimbo's last name.

· While Slice has a tremendous amount of street credibility, Ember confirmed that Slice attended Bethune-Cookman college and also the University of Miami. Ember disputed a Wikipedia claim that Kimbo went to Miami on an academic scholarship. According to Ember, Slice went to Bethune and Miami on a football scholarship. Slice never played a down of football for the Hurricanes and Ember claims that Slice didn’t stay in college long.

· Slice has six children (three sons and three daughters).