more nick diaz hilarity about his infamous hospital fight with joe riggs.
long read but worth it.
Quote:
MMA Weekly conducted phone interviews with Joe Riggגs & Nick Diaz after their fight at UFC 57.
Joe Riggs
גThe Diesel,ג Joe Riggs, and Nick Diaz exchanged words in the days leading up to their UFC 57: גLiddell vs Couture 3? slugfest. They sparred verbally at the elevators, at the weigh-ins, after the weigh-ins, before, during, and after their fight. They went three rounds in the octagon and had an unsanctioned fourth round at a Las Vegas hospital. Riggs recently spoke with MMAWeekly Radio about his battle with Nick Diaz, both in and out of the octagon.
MMAWeekly: Joe, first of all, I want to first congratulate you because I thought you looked good at 170. Watching it on television is one thing, but sitting ringside and hearing the power shots you landed on Nick Diazג face was just wow.
Joe Riggs: Yea. It was good.
MMAWeekly: Talk about his fight. It was a very entertaining fight and a good way to kick off the pay-per-view. How did you see it?
Riggs: It was good man. I havenגt seen the fight yet. I was going to watch it today, but it felt good. I got pretty tired, so I wasnגt good. I was just really surprised that he took so many shots. It was a little discouraging.
MMAWeekly: How frustrated were you because you were just popping him?
Riggs: Dude. That guy, like when I fought Cabbage, I was wailing on his face like that, but thatגs Cabbage man. I hit Diaz hard a lot of times, and it didnגt seem to hurt him until the third round. I donגt know man. Heגs tough. I mean, I donגt like the bastard, but heגs a tough guy.
MMAWeekly: You get this win. It was a tough, tough fight. 170, do you still want to fight at 170? What are you going to do now?
Riggs: I donגt know man. I donגt know. I really donגt know. Iגll have to sit down and talk to Billy [Rush] and see what we want to do, but itגs so hard for me cutting the weight. I was in great shape. I was in great shape for that fight, but I gassed out because of the weight cutting probably.
MMAWeekly: Go to 185 bro. 170 kills you.
Riggs: I know man. I know. People say that my power is lost. That is true. Iגm not as strong, but I donגt know. Youגre probably right. Iגll be wrestling back and forth with this for a couple of weeks.
MMAWeekly: So you fight, and you have to go to the hospital and get checked out. What the heck happened at the hospital man?
Riggs: Lets clear things up here. Everyone keeps saying that he knocked me out at the hospital. Thatגs bullshit.
MMAWeekly: You go to the hospital, take us through this entire situation. You were getting checked out or what? What happened?
Riggs: I was just getting my hands checked out from beating his head so many times. They separated us at the hospital because he keeps talking crap, just going back and forth. He wonגt shut up.
MMAWeekly: Were you in the waiting room, or where you actually in a room?
Riggs: We were like going to get a room, and like he is always popping off, talking smack. I go down toward his end of the hospital to find a doctor so he could watch me pee in a cup for the boxing commission, and he comes talking smack. Iגm like, go back to the WEC. Youגre bush league. You just got beat up. Thatגs two in a row. Youגre out. I was just standing around talking sh#t to him. He was like, thatגs it, and comes out of his room. I had my hands down. He starts coming up to me. I just never in a million years thought heגd throw a punch. He threw a right hook and hit me right in the chin. I mean it hit me right on the button. I seriously canגt say that I was knocked out, but I kind of went down to a knee. Then we just fought and scrambled. I put him against the wall and just Thai clinched and started kneeing the sh#t out of him. His nose was bleeding. I kept kneeing him, and they broke us up. Thatגs all that happened.
MMAWeekly: You had an IV in your arm while all of this was happening?
Riggs: Yea. I had an IV going. My blood was spraying everywhere. It was like a horror movie. Iגm kneeing him and telling his brother, Iגm like, come get your brother off of me. He was like, nothing I can do, man. No. His brother, that guy is an idiot, just hanging off his ball sack like a barnacle. I swear to God, I thought he was all for show. Nick Diaz is legitimately nuts. Heגs crazy.
MMAWeekly: That is nuts.
Riggs: It was crazy man. Iגve never seen anything like it in my life. That guy is fricken nuts man. After that, he keeps jawing and talking more crap. Iגm like, oh my God dude. I guess Cesar Gracie is telling everybody that we squared up and started throwing down and he knocked me unconscious, and we had to pay them to get him off me, or something like that. I donגt know
MMAWeekly: Who stopped this thing because Iגm sure the hospital is tripping?
Riggs: Yea. They were squealing. There was this fat lady going Waa, Waa. It was hilarious. This black security guard, a real big dude separated us.
MMAWeekly: That is unbelievable. Thatגs nuts.
Riggs. Yea. It is nuts man.
MMAWeekly: You fight for three rounds and then you bang it out at the hospital?
Riggs: Yea. I was done. My hands hurt so bad. I hit him in the forehead too. I was tired of hitting him man. I had to hit him again and I was like I donגt want to do it any more. He wasnגt done. He wanted to go a couple of more man. He was getting his stitches. He was getting stitched up and he comes flying out there. God. Dude. That is so unprofessional. There is no way he should ever be allowed to fight back in the UFC. Thatגs what I would say . . . I had never met him before this weekend, so I wasnגt talking smack in any interviews and stuff like that. I see him down at the fights and he is like, are you going to make weight? Are you going to make weight this time? Iגm like, you better f#%king hope not. Weגre just going back and forth. I never met him before in my life, and he starts talking crap right off the bat.
MMAWeekly: This entire week was crazy. I know you guys had words in the lobby, and then I know at the weigh-ins you were getting ready to step on the scales and you guys are just jawing back and forth.
Riggs: It was nuts. I was going upstairs. I was going upstairs to go take a pee. I look over and heגs right in my face. I was like, here it goes. Iגve never been in a situation like that before. I mean unprovoked. I donגt know man.
MMAWeekly: At the urinal, and he is staring you down?
Riggs: Yea. He was staring at my dong. I donגt know what he was staring at. The guy is nuts. I hope I never see that guy again.
MMAWeekly: Diaz landed a nice shot on you in the first round, how hurt was you in that fight?
Riggs: I had just got stitches out of my eye before. I cut myself a few times before the fight, and he head-butted it and opened it up a little bit. Other than that, he didnגt land too many punches.
MMAWeekly: Joe, what do you do now as far as your career goes? If you had to make a decision today, would it be at 185 or would it be at 170?
Riggs: 185.
MMAWeekly: I like 185 a lot better for you.
Riggs: I went down to 170, gave it a shot, beat a couple of tough guys down there, and now Iגll go up to 185 and see whatגs next. You know itגs going to be me and fat-headed Leben. That is who itגs going to be because Joe [Silva] was just talking about that fight.
MMAWeekly: Hold on Riggs. You just got done fighting Diaz and talking about how big of a mouth he has. You just said you should go up to 185. You just now said youגre thinking about it. Youגre automatically calling Leben a fat-head.
Riggs: Heגs got a fat head . . . Heגs a tough fighter. Iגve met him before. Heגs a nice guy, but heגs got a fat head. There is not getting around that.
MMAWeekly: So you think youגll be fighting Leben next?
Riggs: I think that is a very good possibility. Who knows? I think thatגs a fight that people want to see. Thatגs a fight that is fun man. Who knows? We could see that, and there are a lot of options. Weגll see . . . I hope Joe Silva doesnגt get mad at me for bringing that up.
MMAWeekly: Thatגs okay. Weגre pushing for it anyway. I donגt care if the fight has not been talked about . . . What a weird week for you, but you got the win. Those power shots were pretty amazing to sit there ringside and hear them. Congratulations. Great win for you. You were in a must win situation.
Riggs: Iגm back.
MMAWeekly: Congratulations. Youגre back. You got a nice win and weגre looking forward to seeing you, weגre pushing for Leben in May. Weגll work it out.
Riggs: Sounds good guys.
MMAWeekly: All right Diesel. Talk to you.
Riggs: Later.
Source
Nick Diaz
Nick Diaz lost a hard-fought decision against Joe גThe Dieselג Riggs at UFC 57: גLiddell vs Couture 3.ג Riggs gave his account of what took place last Saturday night between the two, in and out of the octagon. Nick Diaz recently spoke with MMAWeekly Radio and told his version of the story.
MMAWeekly: You guys throw down in the ring for three rounds, and then you throw down after. What happened at the hospital?
Nick Diaz: I told him, if you come over here, Iגm going to beat your f#%king ass. You know what I mean?
MMAWeekly: He said youגre the one that provoked it. Youגre saying heגs the one that provoked it?
Diaz: I walked into the hospital talking sh#t. I had already talked sh#t after the fight. After the fight, I went in the back, and I was all, f#%k you, you f#%king bitch. Iגll fight you all night. He was over here talking to a bunch of people and stuff, and I was like, f#%k you. He was all, f#%k you. I won. Heגs all this and that. He goes, go back to the WEC motherf#%ker. I go into the hospital, right? As soon as I walk into the door with my brother, this motherf#%ker is strapped to a God d#%n gurney. Okay? Iגm like, what the f#%k? Iגm like, why are you strapped to a God d#%n gurney?
I wouldnגt even have gone to the hospital, first of all. If I win a fight, I donגt even care if I need stitches. I ainגt going to no f#%king hospital. Iגve got a press conference and all of that stuff. I would have taken care of that sh#t first. So anyway, heגs in the hospital, getting his big steroided ass a f#%king IV or whatever. Right when I walk in there, he is looking at me and he is strapped to a gurney. He was all strapped in, and I walked into my room. He was all, whatever. F#%k you. I won. He goes, go back to the WEC. He was all like, go back to the WEC. I was like, f#%k you, you f#%king bitch. Iגll was, Iגll still fight you, you little bitch ass. I said, you donגt want to fight me right now. Youגll get your f#%king ass whooped. The put me over in a little room, and heגs over standing with Billy Rush, or whoever the hell he was, his partner on the whole other side of the hospital. You know what I mean? There was like a nurses station and the emergency doors, right in front of the nurses station, and a little office room next to that. On his side, thatגs the hallway, in between the door and the nurses station.
MMAWeekly: Right.
Diaz: Iגm in one room at the end of the hall, and he is at the other in of the hall with a bunch of people. He walked all the way down. I donגt know if they sent him over there to get something from the nurses station. You know, because I was a little bit closer to the nurses station. I donגt know if they sent him over there, or if he walked over there close to my room, by my room. When he did, he walked all the way over to my room, and I was like, what the f#%k are you doing over here?
Do you want to get your ass whooped or what? I was all, I didnגt even say that. I started talking sh#t to him when walked over to my room. He was talking sh#t to me too, so I wasnגt going to sit there in my room. I got up out of my room, walked out of my room, and I was like, whatגs up bitch. He threw up his hands and started doing his little Joe Riggs dance around and sh#t. I f#%king knocked him down. Then he got up and started trying to take me down. I turned him around. I put double under-hooks because he had a single leg. I put both my arms under his. I turned him because Iגm hopping on one leg. So I hopped him on one leg, and I hopped him into the little office right next to the doors. You know, where the emergency doors open? You canגt get in, but you can get out unless you are an ambulance or whatever. I would have hopped him through those doors; I should have hopped him through those doors and outside, should have taken it outside. But I hopped him into this room and I started punching him in his face up against this wall in this room.
And then the f#%king security ran in and grabbed me. I stopped fighting the security and sh#t. I was like, all right, all right, all right. Iגm sorry. Iגm sorry because they were about to tase us or some sh#t. Seriously, they were going to tase us. The cops came in. I figured the cops would have arrested us, but they were Nick Diaz fans or whatever. One of them got an autograph. They were like, hell no Iגm not arresting this guy. Heגs my favorite fighter. I couldnגt believe it. We were in Vegas, so I figured that is the reason why. I signed some autographs for the police. He was like, get your brother man. Get your brother man. Get your brother man, please. He was like, get your brother man. Heגs crazy. Iגm like, f#%k you. He walked over to my side of the hospital, though. I didnגt walk over there to his side of the hospital and try to fight him. I stayed on my side of the hospital. I stayed in my room. Okay?
MMAWeekly: Some people are going to say that you should have walked away in the hospital.
Diaz: I should have, but you know what Iגm saying? He shouldnגt have came over talking sh#t. Heגs the one who put his hands up, tried to fight me. I ainגt no bitch. You know what Iגm saying?
MMAWeekly: You felt provoked and that is why you did your thing?
Diaz: Yea. I ainגt no bitch. You know what I mean? Thatגs why I said Iגll fight him all night. Iגd fight him right now. If he were here, Iגd fight him right now.
MMAWeekly: Nick, arenגt you worried about what the UFC will do now? Arenגt you worried that you could be kicked out because of this incident?
Diaz: I didnגt start it. How the f#%k did I start that sh#t?
MMAWeekly: But people are going to say, Nick, walk away.
Diaz: He came to my side of the hospital. He came all the way and walked over to me. How am I going to walk away? Walk away? If anything, I was cornered. I came out of a room and he was right there outside of a door. It was a small room, an office type of room. You know those rooms they sit you in thatגs got a little thing that lays down with a paper over it?
MMAWeekly: Right.
Diaz: I was in one of those rooms. He didnגt have a room. He was at the other end of the hall with a bunch of curtains and sh#t, way, way, way down. He walked all the way over. He knew better than to come over by me. He knows Iגm f#%king nuts. He knows Iגm crazy like that.
MMAWeekly: Youגre crazy doing that man.
Diaz: I didnגt do it. Thatגs what Iגm saying. You know what I mean? Think about it. I didnגt do sh#t.
Trigg: Nick, do you take medication?
Diaz: No. I donגt take no f#%king medication. Come on man.
Trigg: Seriously. This is you? This is it every day, all day long?
Diaz: No. Check it out. I just got a little amped up because a buddy of mine called me up and said everyone is talking about me on the radio. I donגt call the f#%king radio. I could give a sh#t. Iגm just doing my thing and using my free time to do whatever I want to do. I donגt get much free time, but right now Iגm hearing a bunch of sh#t. People are talking about me on the radio, so I decided to give you guys a call.
MMAWeekly: We got Joe Riggs account of what happened . . .
Diaz: Whatגs his name said something about a urinal. I was in the bathroom or whatever. Iגve never been in a bathroom with him. Iגve never been in a bathroom with him. The only other time I was close enough to Joe Riggs is when we were walking through that long hallway at Mandalay Bay. You know that one where they send you to the convention center? You know youגre going to see your fricken opponent walking through that long ass hallway. He gets all nerve wrecked on the way through walking with Tim Sylvia. Iגm just walking with my brother. You know what I mean?
MMAWeekly: Right.
Diaz: He starts talking to us, and Iגm like, I donגt want to talk to him. The fights are tomorrow. Iגd talk to him any other time, so I just keep walking. All I said was, because he had said something to me, so I just said, are you going to make the weight? He said, yea. I said, Iגll see you. He was like, Iגll see you. Iגll see you. He was all talking sh#t all the way down the hall. Thatגs what started it. I would have never said nothing to him. All I asked was if he was going to make the weight. At the weigh-ins, he comes walking. He always comes walking right over by me. Iגm like, dude, donגt even come by me. Iגm like, I ainגt going to move. Iגm standing in the stairway. He comes walking through the stairway. Of course, I give him a little dirty look.
That probably wasnגt the nicest thing to do. Maybe I shouldnגt have given him a dirty look, but I gave him a dirty look. He goes, what the f#%k are you looking at bitch? I said, f#%k you, you f#%king bitch. Get slapped right here motherf#%ker because he was right there at the weigh-ins. I was like, get slapped right here because he was talking sh#t to me. I was talking sh#t to him. Every since then, I donגt especially like him because we had words I guess. Iגm not a f#%king crazy guy. I donגt take medication. I just train hard. I just get pissed off. You know what I mean?
MMAWeekly: Nick, you canגt be throwing down at a hospital.
Diaz: What do you want me to do?
Trigg: Shut the door. There is a door on the room. Shut the door.
Diaz: Yea. Shut the door on him. Right on, Okay, but I was pissed off.
MMAWeekly: Nick, take us through this fight. Obviously we know what happened after the fight, but were you disappointed? Did you think you won the fight?
Diaz: You know something? Thatגs how I got started fighting too. It wasnגt because I was a wrestler . . . I didnגt start fighting because I was an athletic wrestler. I got lucky to have a little bit of athleticism in me. I started fighting because I got in fights in highschool. I didnגt go very good in highschool. I got into a few fights. I had a girlfriend in highschool, and people would give me sh#t. I would get into fights. At my highschool people were fighting a lot. It was like a thing or something. Thatגs how I got started.
I wanted to learn how to fight. I figured that everybody would want to learn how to fight, but it seemed like everybody else was stupid to it. I was the only one who wanted to learn how to fight. I started choking people, and thatגs what got me started fighting. That is where it comes from. Thatגs how it started, me fighting. It was a fight, fight. Nothing changes. Otherwise, I wouldnגt even have had words with the guy. Yea, shut the door on him. Right on, but I ainגt no bitch.
MMAWeekly: How did you learn Jiu-Jitsu so well, and so quick?
Diaz: Steve Heath started teaching me Jiu-Jitsu. He noticed that I was there everyday training. I learned a triangle choke, and I started choking big olג steroided people that were big and all about working out and thought they could kick everyoneגs ass. I would choke them and I was only fifteen. I was choking big olג dudes. I would tell all of my friends, and they were like, yea, right. Yea, right. They didnגt pay no attention to me, but I just thought it was cool. I couldnגt believe that I had the capability to do something like that. I didnגt know that it was possible to actually learn how to fight. I thought it was always chance, always the stronger guy. You donגt know. I watched the UFC. I saw Royce Gracie triangle choke someone. When I heard there was something like that close to where I was, I hit it up.
I went right in there and started working out there. It was a gym. I didnגt sign up for the gym and see the classes. I heard about the class, went there, signed up at the gym for the classes they had there. They had like a Shamrock 2000. Steve Heath was training there. After training there for a little while, Steve Heath was about to fight Chuck Liddell, so I started training with him for that fight. I trained more than he did for that fight.
MMAWeekly: Nick, here is the deal. We love the way you fight, but we donגt want to see you kicked out of the UFC. Thatגs all we are saying.
Diaz: Why would I get kicked out of the UFC for that, though? Why not him? He won. Why didnגt he stay the hell away from me? You guys are telling me to shut the door like I started and all this sh#t, like Iגm the big trouble maker. He won the fight. He should be happy. Why is he talking sh#t to me? Heגs over here telling me to go back to the f#%king WEC.
MMAWeekly: I hear that. Did you hit him first? Let me ask you that. Even though you were provoked, did you hit him first?
Diaz: Yea. I hit him first, but he was going to hit me. If I had of stood there, he would have hit me.
MMAWeekly: Okay.
Diaz: If I would have stood there in front of him, he would have hit me.
MMAWeekly: In a court of law, theyגre probably going to harass you first because you threw the first punch. Thatגs all weגre saying. We want to see you fight. I donגt want to this stuff going on behind the scenes.
Diaz: It doesnגt go on behind the scenes because all I do is train at the gym. Where is this going to happen behind the scenes? He shouldnגt even have been at the hospital. Come on. He didnגt even have a big enough cut. What the hell was he doing at the hospital? What did he f#%king need, and IV? Are you f#%king kidding me. You know what I mean? I donגt know man. The fact of the matter is, if he didnגt grab the God d#%n fence like a bitch. If he didnגt grab the f#%king fence, he would have went down, got passed, and mounted on. I would have beat his ass, f#%king Arm Barred his ass.
MMAWeekly: So you feel that was the difference in the fight?
Diaz: Thatגs all there is to it. If he didnגt grab the fence, I would have finished him half way through the third round. Thatגs what was going to happen. He was on his way down. He grabbed the fence. There is no way he would have closed the guard on me. If he had of, I would have beat through that f#%king thing, passed his guard, mounted him, and beat him. Itגs like, what the f#%k?
MMAWeekly: Thank you for giving your side of the story, and we appreciate that.
Diaz: I think they should deduct a round, the whole round from whoever grabs the fence. In Pride they deduct points. They yellow card you. You know what I mean?
MMAWeekly: Itגs happened a few different times, from Tim Sylvia last month to this fight.
Diaz: They need to do something about it. And I was never in a bathroom with that guy. I was never in a restroom with Joe Riggs. I was never anywhere or anything like that with him.
MMAWeekly: Thank you for setting the record straight.
Diaz: Right on.
MMAWeekly: Talk to you soon.
Diaz: Take it easy.
MMAWeekly: Take care.
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