by FOXSports.com

The move comes after Noons turned down two chances to defend his title against Diaz.

"It's a very unfortunate situation but we cannot have belt-holders who refuse to fight the top contenders," said EliteXC Head of Fight Operations Jeremy Lappen. "We want champions who will fight anyone, anytime, anyplace. That's the mentality all champions should have."

In a statement released late Friday, Lappen said Noons had refused to fight Diaz in a headliner match at the Oct. 4 EliteXC event on CBS. Noons was also offered the top spot on the promotion's next card on Showtime and rejected that as well.

"From my view, it is a fight against a top-named opponent in Diaz (someone who beat the No. 1 fighter in the world in his weight class), a fighter KJ has bad blood with and most definitely a fight the fans really wanted to see," Lappen said in his statement. "It seemed like a great opportunity for KJ to me."

EliteXC said it will announce a fight in the near future for the vacant title. As for Noons, he is still under contract for two more fights with the promotion.