When Joe “Diesel” Riggs comes up in the conversations of MMA fans and media, many adjectives come to mind. Talented…exciting…experienced…opinionated…volatile…they all apply.
Not yet 27 years old, yet a veteran of 43 professional MMA fights, Riggs has carved out a reputation as one of the most physically gifted welterweights in the division. Now he’s been given the opportunity to showcase his talents in a main event slot at the STRIKEFORCE’s August 13th Challengers event in his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. Standing on the other side of the cage that night will be Louis “Handgunz” Taylor, a combatant who is five years older but has competed in 36 fewer fights than “Diesel.” Will the battle-tested veteran Riggs be able to blast through his less-experienced foe, or will the temptation to overlook a fighter like Taylor be too much to overcome?
“Handgunz,” while respectful of his famous foe, has made it clear he’s not intimidated with statements like “the faster he walks into me, the faster he gets knocked out.” What does Riggs, a fighter known for his own brand of head games, think about that?
“From what I hear, he’s a counter-puncher,” said Riggs. “But unless he lands a lucky punch, [me getting knocked out] is not going to happen. This is the first time he’s fighting someone at my level.”
Taylor has even said that he plans to take Riggs’ “spot” in the fight game. “He’s a tough guy, for sure,” states Riggs in response. “He’s hard to find stuff on. But I just don’t think he has what it takes to take my spot. Not my experience, not my skill level, nothing like that.” And with a training camp he labels as “good,” Riggs’ biggest obstacle heading into the bout, in his mind, seems to be that “it’s weird fighting a guy you’ve never heard of. I train hard for every fight, but it’s hard to really train like I should for a fight like this. The only reason I took this fight is because it’s in my hometown and it’s a main event slot.”
While “Diesel” has made it clear that he’s not overlooking Taylor, his future is clearly on his mind. Still a few years away from his 30th birthday, he’s already fought for a world title, competed in organizations all over the world, and defeated world class fighters like Luke Stewart, Kendall Grove, Phil Baroni, and STRIKEFORCE Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz. After Taylor, where does Riggs go from here? “There are five guys under UFC contract that I beat in the first round. I feel like I’m one good win away from being back in the top ten.”
At the top of the welterweight heap is the aforementioned Diaz. Does “Diesel” want another crack at him, this time with the belt at stake? “It’s not really about the belt. I’m just looking for exciting fights and more publicity, so that makes [another Diaz] fight more appealing to me. I just want fights like that that are going to create more of a buzz.”
Yet, for all his accomplishments in the cage, you’d be hard-pressed to find an athlete as tough on himself as Riggs is. Frustrated at times when he’s been unable to truly unleash and display his considerable gifts in the cage, “Diesel” says he’s primed and ready to rectify that. “I just want to put it all together and just let it go. Sometimes I feel like I’m apprehensive in there. Like in the [Kazuo] Misaki fight [in 2008], I was countering, but when I went straight forward, I dropped him. When I’m aggressive and moving forward, I feel like I’m at my best. Then again, I am a good counter-puncher. Whatever happens, I just want to mix it up, and let my hands go more.”
On August 13th, Joe Riggs will have the opportunity to back up his talk against Taylor, truly exhibit the fighting skill set he’s been blessed with, and show the MMA world that “Diesel” is ready to run through everyone in his path.
This story was originally featured on the official Strikeforce website.
Original Story:
http://bumpyknuckle.com/2010/08/10/jo...
