Jared Shaw is apparently on the media warpath today, going to great lengths to trash K.J. Noons’ management team and drag their names through the mud. Earlier today he talked to MMA Weekly regarding the matter and now he’s got more to say to MMA Junkie:

“I’m sitting here and I’m drinking from a carton of milk right now,” Shaw said. “And the EliteXC lightweight champion KJ Noons’ face is on the back of this milk carton because he’s missing in action. I can’t seem to find him.”

“When [Noons' camp] wants to track us down and tell us how Nick Diaz isn’t the right fight for them — or they want more money, or they want this out of their contract, or this and that — they’re easy to get a hold of,” Shaw said. “But to actually make the fight? Impossible.

“And then when he’s 1-1, get him right back into a main event situation for the world championship against Nick Diaz, the legend who beat Gomi, how are you going to say that we’re not trying to help your kid? What more opportunity could we give the kid?”

“There’s a spot for KJ Noons to face Nick Diaz on the Oct 4. card,” Shaw said. “If this fight doesn’t go off then this a textbook case in business law of harbor. It would be called the KJ Noons case. It will be the biggest mismanagement of an athlete’s career you will ever see. This is a chance to maximize his exposure right now.”

Wow. Them’s fightin’ words. But I, for once, have to agree with Shaw here. Noons at least owes EliteXC a phone call wouldn’t you think? He is, after all, their current champion and they do have a right to know why he’s not defending the title when they ask him to. I don’t know if this is all Noons or if this is all Mark Dion or if it’s half and half but it’s unprofessional of them not to let EliteXC know what’s going on with their current 160 lbs. champion. Expect plenty more of this from EliteXC and Shaw until they have some answers from Noons.

Update: EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw has been quoted as saying that the promotion has delivered a contract to Noons to defend vs. Diaz on Oct. 4 and that he has until 8 p.m. ET on Thursday to respond to the offer.

MMA Weekly spoke with EliteXC vice president Jared Shaw and it looks like the long-awaited K.J. Noons vs. Nick Diaz title rematch could be in jeopardy. The promotion wanted to include the fight as part of their October show on CBS but it appears that Noons’ management has no interest in the bout:

According to EliteXC vice president Jared Shaw, the promotion has tried to make the fight happen and wants it to happen as part of the Oct. 4 event, but to no avail.

“Nick Diaz is the No. 1 contender. K.J. Noons should step up and be the champion that we think he is and take this fight. Nick Diaz will take this fight any place, anywhere,” Shaw told MMAWeekly.com. “(Noons’ management) won’t even return our calls.

“I don’t understand it. This fight on CBS is maximum exposure and the opportunity for maximum sponsorship dollars, way more than he could make on Showtime. At this point, I question his management.”

Take into consideration that Noon’s management is none other than Mark Dion, a guy who was fired by Brandon Vera after Dion was instrumental in Vera’s near year long absence from the UFC. Also, according to a recent interview with Fight Hype, it looks like Noons is wanting to get back into the boxing ring before he steps back inside the cage, being quoted as saying “Boxing is next unless something good comes up.”

I would think that national exposure on primetime on CBS in a high profile fight against a known commodity in Diaz would be considered as “something good,” but what do I know? I have defended Noons on several occasions because I think the stoppage in his first fight against Diaz was not only warranted but that Noons was on his way to winning that fight no matter what happened. However, if he’s legitimately dodging Diaz then he needs to be called out on it and that’s what it’s starting to look like. If Noons wants to continue to be the EliteXC lightweight champion then he’s going to have to defend against Diaz at one point or another. Why not do it on CBS?