Bellator Signs Joe 'Diesel' Riggs to Middleweight Division
by Press Release on Jan 10, 2011 9:31 AM EST
in Bellator FC News & Results
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CHICAGO, Ill. (January 10, 2011) - Bellator Fighting Championships continues to add to their impressive stable of fighters, this time adding battle-proven veteran Joe "Diesel" Riggs to its ever expanding list of talented fighters. Bellator Season 4 airs on MTV2 in March 2011. Having won six of his last seven fights, Riggs joins Bellator with an impressive 34-11 record that includes 31 stoppage victories.
A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Riggs began his journey to MMA when he picked up boxing at just 10-years-old before wrestling in high school. A two time All-American, Riggs met current UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez at the High School National Championships. With a Golden Gloves boxing title under his belt and widely established as one of the top high school wrestlers in the country, Riggs' decision to make the transition to MMA was an easy one, and at the age of just 17-years-old he took his first fight and hasn't looked back since.
A true veteran of mixed martial arts, Riggs is a former WEC Middleweight Champion who has fought for the UFC and Strikeforce, with impressive victories over Strikeforce Champion Nick Diaz, and UFC veterans Phil Baroni, Chris Lytle, Kendall Grove, and Joe Doerkson. After winning his last two fights, including a submission victory over Louis Taylor in August for Strikeforce, Riggs looks to continue his winning ways with Bellator.
"Joe Riggs is a battle tested veteran who brings it in every fight. He is a great addition to our middleweight division, and I'm looking forward to seeing Joe in action during Season 4" said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney.
Admittedly anxious to return to action, Riggs promises a better "Diesel" than ever under the Bellator banner, stating, "This is the healthiest and the happiest that I can ever remember being in my life. I'm in the prime of my life, I'm injury-free, and things have just really come together in my life. I just can't wait to show everyone what I have."
Riggs will certainly get his chance, as Bellator boasts one of the strongest Middleweight divisions in the sport. It was a fact not lost on the experienced Riggs.
"Bellator has a lot of well-rounded, talented guys in their middleweight division," said Riggs. "Guys like Bryan Baker, Eric Schambari, and of course the Middleweight Champion, Hector Lombard. There are some really good middleweights for me to test myself against, and it was one of the reasons I came to Bellator."
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator
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Hopefully we get to see a Joey/Hector fight in the near future
Hector has been on a tear and Diggs will be a great test for him.
We fight, get beat, rise and fight again.
WOW! Joe 'Diesel' Riggs is making a comeback.......
he is my favorite fighter I care never to see fight again. He is the absolute best person who I don’t give a shit about.
and for someone who doesn't give two shits about Joey
why even bother opening a thread which is dedicated to him?
We fight, get beat, rise and fight again.
I dono man
Outclass isn’t the word I would use here. Hector has power and Judo going for him, but Joey is a gym rat and is great in all areas.
We fight, get beat, rise and fight again.
I have always liked Riggs
But he needs to keep the distance (or clinch) against Lombard’s power for at least the first round. Joe will have a significant reach advantage, and will probably be the bigger, not just taller, man. Assuming he goes through the bracket, unlike Huerta.
Bellator is finally starting to draw more “named” fighters. The lure of the $100K bonus is bringing in some top free agents in Heiron and Riggs, both guys Coker refused to put against Diaz in SF. I wonder why…
JB JB JB JB!! (For all the bass ackwards BJ Penn fans that actually think he will not get blanketed by Fitch.)
yeah, I don't get that decision at all
They could have sold the shit out of a Diaz/Riggs fight. Lots of history, the whole hospital thing, give Diaz a chance to avenge his loss. Lame.
And wait a minute, do we actually both like the same fighter. WTF??
We fight, get beat, rise and fight again.
Lombard is a class above riggs, and I like riggs. he always entertained me!
clinching against lombard is very dangerous because thats when his Judo comes into play…. Lombard went to War with Josh Fucking Barnett every day in Practice who happens to be a beast of a HW….Not so sure Riggs would be bigger btw…Lombard is like the Overeem of the MW division. He is sooooo Jacked up!
Very entertaining fight, but I would bet big money on Lombard!
I like them both
But I find it problematic to say that Lombard is a class above. Lombard has been killing no-namers while Riggs has fought the whose who in the best promotions out there. Good fight, but I think it could go either way.
We fight, get beat, rise and fight again.
the thing is....lombard will the bellator tournament 9 out of 10 times
Diesel might not even make it to the finals….to me, that means that Lombard is a class above him.
But hey, what do i know?
And that one out of 10 is the reaason I love the Bellator tournament bracket.
Anything can happen and title shots are not guranteed because you are either a) the only guy the champ hasn’t beat up or b) a guy who could open up new markets. Dan Hardy, I am looking at you.
If you win the tourny, you fight the champ. As it should be.
JB JB JB JB!! (For all the bass ackwards BJ Penn fans that actually think he will not get blanketed by Fitch.)
GTFO
Hardy is barely top 20, but I enjoy watching him becasue of his attitude. He is a fighter that likes to fight. I want to see Hardy versus Lytle once Condit smashes Lytle, too.
JB JB JB JB!! (For all the bass ackwards BJ Penn fans that actually think he will not get blanketed by Fitch.)
If by legit
you mean guarding the gate to the UFC 170 pound division, yes, he certainly is.
We fight, get beat, rise and fight again.
Remember, write it down, take a picture
I will never be on the Dan Hardy bandwagon.
We fight, get beat, rise and fight again.
We like alot of common fighters
But your nuthuggery for BJ makes me play devil’s advocate more thimes than naught, lol.
JB JB JB JB!! (For all the bass ackwards BJ Penn fans that actually think he will not get blanketed by Fitch.)
I had the pleasure of meeting Joe
by MMA Zombie on Jan 10, 2011 10:19 AM EST via mobile reply actions
I had the pleasure of meeting Joe
And he was a cool dude. He came to my gym and rolled around with us. Good wrestler and cery strong. Glad to see him in Bellator.
by MMA Zombie on Jan 10, 2011 10:20 AM EST via mobile reply actions
I had the pleasure of meeting Joe
And he was a cool dude. He came to my gym and rolled around with us. Good wrestler and very strong. Glad to see him in Bellator.
by MMA Zombie on Jan 10, 2011 10:20 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Sorry for the mutiple post
My phone must be acting up and I’m still new to this.
by MMA Zombie on Jan 10, 2011 10:23 AM EST via mobile reply actions
i like lombard but he’s been fighting guys nowhere near experienced to handle his explosiveness. hope riggs can hang in there and take him to a 4th or 5th round.
Gatti. Dekkers. Pele. Aoki. Kang. Vanderlei. Basillio. Harry Greb.
by theworldsoldestsport on Jan 10, 2011 11:11 AM EST reply actions
Joe might be a good guy
but he will get killed fighting Hector. He has never been a top notch contender, not even a gatekeeper. To be honest Im surprized that Bellator signed him, he has always been an over rated can.
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