The Strikeforce card slated for August 15 could soon see the addition of another fine bout by revisiting a good old fashioned heated rivalry.
Nick Diaz (20-7) may get the opportunity to avenge a 2006 loss to Joe Riggs (30-10), a welterweight fight that could go down at Strikeforce: "Carano vs. Cyborg" at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. It's important to note that bout agreements have not been signed at this time -- it is currently in the early stages of discussion.
The two outspoken veterans originally squared off at UFC 57: "Liddell vs. Couture III" in February 2006, which resulted in a close unanimous decision victory for "Diesel"; however, the fighting didn’t stop there. In fact, later that night at the hospital, Diaz and Riggs went at it for another five or 10 minutes, which resulted in "Diesel" literally crapping his shorts when he went for a takedown.
Those little hospital gowns don’t hide a whole lot, now do they? Riggs recently recounted the hilarious story to Larry Pepe, host of Pro MMA Radio, MMAmania.com’s exclusive radio partner.
Despite their hospital altercation, Riggs told Pep that he doesn’t hold a grudge against Diaz — someone "Diesel" calls "one of my favorite fighters to watch" — and that he was only interested in a rematch if a Strikeforce title was on the line.
With the rematch now possibly slated for the main card on August 15, clearly things have changed.
It's a showdown that more than likely can help support the all female main event -- the always-game Diaz has proven that he can carry a card, while the one-time UFC title contender in Riggs is a well-known and crafty veteran with a decent-size fan base in his own right.
In the three-plus years since their last meeting, Riggs has fought 10 times, going 6-4, including his most recent unanimous decision victory over Phil Baroni at Strikeforce: "Lawler vs. Shields" in June, as well as UFC losses to Mike Swick (submission – "Swicko’tine") and Diego Sanchez (KO – knee) and a loss to Kazuo Misaki at Strikeforce: "Playboy Mansion II."
In that same period, Diaz has fought 12 times, going 9-2 with 1 NC, including UFC wins over Josh Neer and Gleison Tibau, in addition to wins over Frank Shamrock and, most recently, Scott Smith at Strikeforce: "Lawler vs. Shields."
The victory over Smith, occurring at a catchweight of 180 pounds, saw Diaz set modern-day MMA records for most total strikes thrown by one fighter in one round (an astounding 221, breaking the previous record Diaz set against Frank Shamrock of 181 punches thrown) and for most total strikes landed by one fighter in one round (125, breaking Michael Bisping’s record of 105 vs. Elvis Sinosic).
Diaz’s losses during that time include a unanimous decision to Sean Sherk at UFC 59 and a TKO loss (due to cuts) to K.J. Noons under the EliteXC banner. The lone No Contest was a highlight reel submission (Gogoplata) victory over then-PRIDE FC lightweight champion and poster boy Takanori Gomi, the result of which was overturned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after Diaz popped positive for marijuana.
For more on the still-developing Strikeforce: "Carano vs. Cyborg" fight card — which includes a 145-pound title fight between the two headlining female fighters, a lightweight title unification bout between reigning champ Josh "The Punk" Thomson and interim champ Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez, and a heavyweight title bout between champ Alistair Overeem and Brett "The Grimm" Rogers — click here.