K.J. Noons of the Big Island was stripped of his EliteXC world lightweight championship tonight.

Jeremy Lappen, head of fight operations for the EliteXC organization, said Noons has been reluctant to defend the championship against California's Nick Diaz.

"We are stripping K.J. of his championship belt for refusing to defend against Diaz,'' Lappen said. "It's a very unfortunate situation but we cannot have belt-holders who refuse to fight the top contenders. We want champions who will fight anyone, anytime, anyplace. That's the mentality all champions should have."

Noons defeated Diaz last November for the title. In Noons' most recent bout, he defeated Yves Edwards to defend the lightweight (160 pounds) championship in June at the Blaisdell Center Arena.

According to Lappen, Noons has twice turned down offers for a rematch against Diaz.

"I don't understand why he would turn down a chance to be a headliner on CBS on Oct. 4," Lappen said. "Personally, I do not think it was a smart career move, but I'm sure he sees it differently. K.J. has two more fights remaining on his contract, so we are still looking forward to having him fight for us again soon, but not as our world champion.''

EliteXC will announce a fight for the vacant lightweight title in the near future, Lappen said.

Noons was raised in Kailua, Kona, but now trains in San Diego.