A few media outlets had reported that Diaz would be settling his highly publicized feud with KJ Noons on the card instead of facing Denny, but EliteXC feels that a Diaz-Noons match up on the July 26 card would be too soon for Noon's who just endured a grueling training camp in preparation for his title fight with Yves Edwards and could use a little time off. The grudge match between Diaz and Noons could also benefit from some added buildup according to EliteXC VP and Matchmaker Jared Shaw.

"A fight of that magnitude deserves a long built up," Shaw told Fightline.com. "Thats a main event in and of itself. The world wants to see that fight after what went down between the two of them. Also, Noon's just came off of a really tough camp, the best camp of his life really, and it may be a little to soon to put him in against someone of Diaz's caliber fresh after preparing for a (five round) title fight."

Shaw also pointed out that EliteXC could be putting three titles up for grabs on the 26th and adding another five round fight in Noons vs. Diaz wouldn't work within alloted time constraints.

"If we close the deal on the guy we're looking at signing on to fight Antonio "Junior" Silva then we'll definitely be crowning EliteXC's first heavyweight champion," said Shaw. "So we may be looking at three title fights already and to add another one wouldn't fit in time-wise. There were a lot of reason's why it made sense to hold off on that fight for now."

However, if Diaz, who is heavily favored, can get past submission specialist Thomas Denny, expect the highly anticipated grudge match between he and Noons to materialize quickly, probably as soon as October. Shaw, though, doesn't expect Denny to be a walk in the park for Diaz, figuring that the contest will test more than just his MMA abilities.

"The weight is on Diaz," said Shaw. "Denny has an opportunity for a major upset here. The thing about MMA is that there is no home court advantage. People want tickets, people want your time...I'm not saying Diaz can't handle it because I think he can, he's a professional, but this fight will really test him because of everything involved."