Diaz Pulled From Dream.5

by Robert Sargent

Much the same way as when he was initially removed from the Dream.3 card, Nick Diaz has once again been pulled from a DREAM event by EliteXC management. He will no longer compete at Dream.5, and is expected to face KJ Noons in EliteXC soon.

Diaz is a major part of the EliteXC promotion, so the decision is not without merit, but it could potentially put into jeopardy the growing relationship between EliteXC and DREAM.

Dream.5 was originally scheduled to feature a bout between Diaz and Hayato "Mach" Sakurai to determine the first DREAM Welterweight Champion, but Diaz's conflicts with EliteXC Lightweight Champion KJ Noons, whom Diaz lost to last year, seem to have created enough interest to warrant a rematch between the two.

Diaz is expected to be facing Noons for the title sometime later this year. Whether the two will face each other at EliteXC's next foray on CBS, on July 26th, has yet to be determined.

Another potential opponent in Diaz's future is Eddie Alvarez, a dangerous striker who will be competing at Dream.5 in the semi-finals of the DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix. Both Alvarez and Noons pose significant threats to Diaz, as both possess superior striking skills. Noons battered Diaz in their first fight, eventually winning by TKO due to numerous cuts.


No replacement opponent has been announced for Sakurai at Dream.5, but it should be noted that Sakurai posed the greatest challenge for Diaz. His striking skills and power could very well have overwhelmed Diaz, which would have lowered Diaz's stock in EliteXC.

The rematch with Noons is more of a marketing initiative by EliteXC than a world-class fight, but a Diaz victory over Noons would reinstate the initial EliteXC plan to feature Diaz as their 160-pound champion.