Nick Diaz and Joe Riggs didn’t just throw down inside the cage, but in the hospital as well, when a post-fight argument escalated past the point of return.
On February 4, 2006, the MMA stars went to war at UFC 57, inside the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Following three rounds, Riggs was announced the winner, and his opponent wasn’t happy.
So, when the pair ended up crossing paths following the contest, it’s no surprise tensions erupted.
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Nick Diaz punched Joe Riggs in hospital fight
In order to get the victory that day, Joe Riggs had to put his body on the line, pushing himself to the limit to get his hand raised.
Subsequently, the warrior had to go to the hospital to get checked out. The Mainer was sat on a gurney receiving an IV, when his rival strolled in and started firing verbal shots.
On an episode of Dark Side of the Cage, with Vice, the 42-year-old recalled: “He walks in with his brother into the hospital, looking like a gargoyle by f—— strolling in. Him and his brother, they were just talking s—.
“He was like, ‘Look at that motherf—— b—-, he can’t even get off the gurney.”
However, while injured, Riggs refused to take the insults lying down, with Nick Diaz recalling: “He’s like, ‘Well, I won’. I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, f—— look at you motherf—–. He was on a stretcher.”
With the two men at loggerheads, the victor made a comment that really aggravated the UFC legend.
He said: “Oh yeah, I’m like, ‘Shut the f— up. Now, that’s two in a row, go back to WEC’. And I was like, ‘Ha, that was a good burn’.
Riggs heard the ‘clip-clomp of feet’, before being punched in the face. Diaz enthused: “Boom, and I cracked him.”
While some wouldn’t approve of this behavior, this sort of thing is partially what made the former Strikeforce champion so popular. Joe Rogan goes as far as claiming Diaz changed the game with his wild antics.
Georges St-Pierre reveals the mind game Nick Diaz used that had him ‘panicking’
Surrounded by mayhem, Diaz developed an unrivaled aura, with even arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, concerned with what he was bringing to the table.
In his esteemed career, Georges St-Pierre showcased formidable grappling skills and an awe-inspiring fight IQ, with the Canadian capable of outthinking anyone who dared set foot in the cage with him.
However, the icon’s confidence went out the window when he had to face one of the biggest trash-talkers in UFC history.
Now, St-Pierre has opened up about the tactic Diaz used to get in his head.