K.J. Noons

Karl James "K.J." Noons (born December 7, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist, as well as a former professional boxer and kickboxer, currently competing in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional MMA competitor since 2000, Noons has also formerly competed for Strikeforce, DREAM, EliteXC, and is the former EliteXC Lightweight Champion.

Background

KJ Noons is hapa kanaka, hapa haole—mixed ethnicity of native Hawaiian (from his mother's side) and European-American (from his father's side). Born and raised in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, Noons comes from a family history of fighting. His father Karl was a professional kickboxer and was a top contender during the time he fought. Karl's passion for fighting and competing in combat sports influenced him to introduce his son to martial arts at a young age. At the age of five, Noons started training in Kenpō Karate. Often getting disqualified for fighting too hard in karate tournaments, Noons eventually started training in boxing and Muay Thai at the age of eight out of interest for full contact fighting. Noons competed as an amateur fighter and became the first student in the state of Hawaii to earn a junior black belt under Ed Parker at the age of 11. During his high school years, Noons moved to Houston, Texas due to the location of his father's job. While continuing to compete as a fighter, he also started playing football at Clements High School. At age 17, Noons won the ISKA Super Middleweight International Championship as an amateur in Sanshou. After winning the title and graduating from Clements High School, K.J. decided to pursue a career in combat sports, rather than go to college and continue with football.