Nick Diaz Vs. Joe Riggs II Set For August 15th?

 According to a report from Carson’s Corner, Nick Diaz vs. Joe Riggs II has been added to the upcoming event "Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg" taking place on August 15, 2009 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. The report cites an unnamed source within the Strikeforce camp. The rematch presents an opportunity for revenge for Diaz as he came out on the losing end of their first encounter. The fight card, to be shown live on Showtime, will also feature a main event bringing together the two biggest female stars in the sport, Gina Carano and Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, as they go toe to toe in the most important fight in the history of women’s MMA.



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Diaz and Riggs first fought at "UFC 57: Liddell vs Couture 3" on February 4, 2006. The fight went in the favor of Riggs who was able to control Nick Diaz for the entire fifteen minutes and pull out the unanimous decision. But the fight was far from over. Both fighters required medical attention and were subsequently sent to the same local hospital whereupon a fourth round, of sorts, commenced. The story itself has become the stuff of legend: a full-blown mixed martial arts bout inside the hospital involving two (injured) professional athletes, replete with hospital gowns, IVs, and gurneys.

Nick Diaz has been on a roll as of late winning nine of his last eleven fights with only one loss and one very controversial No Contest in which he tapped out highly regarded lightweight Takanori Gomi with a Gogoplata, but the fight was later overturned when Diaz failed the post fight drug test as he test positive for Marijuana. During this streak, which spans three years, Diaz has taken out some very tough opponents such as Frank Shamrock and Scott Smith, both of which Diaz moved up in weight to fight.

Joe Riggs has amassed a very impressive 30-10 record since his first fight in 2001, where he debuted as a HW. With such an impressive record it would seem the fighter and his fans would be very happy about where his career is at, but Riggs is widely considered by many fans and experts alike, as one of the sports biggest under-achievers. Being known as an absolute monster in training, he somehow never showed his true potential in the cage, where it really matters. That all changed with his last outing, when he dominated veteran heavy-handed slugger, Phil Baroni. From the opening bell, Riggs looked like a man on a mission and truly displayed what he is capable of. He showed he is a very skilled martial artist in all aspects of the game and can pose a threat to anyone fighting today.

With obviously no love lost between these two fighters, fireworks are surely in store when they meet for the second (or third) time in their careers. A decision via the judges scorecard is highly unlikely this time as both have a score to settle and will be looking to finish the other from the sound of the opening bell.