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Riggs-Taylor Heads Up Aug. 13 Strikeforce Challengers
By: Sherdog.com Staff
Joe Riggs file photo: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
Hometown attraction Joe Riggs will face off against Louis Taylor in a 182-pound catch-weight bout at Strikeforce Challengers 10 on Aug. 13 at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix, Ariz., the promotion announced on Thursday.
The Showtime-televised event will also feature a four-women 135-pound single-elimination tournament over one night; the participants have yet to be announced. The winner will earn a title shot against the promotion’s 135-pound champion. Champion Sarah Kaufman will defend her crown against Roxanne Modafferi at Strikeforce Challengers 9 on July 23 in Kent, Wash.
One-time heavyweight Riggs, a heavy-handed striker who fought at both 170 and 185 pounds in the UFC, holds wins over Phil Baroni, Luke Stewart, and Eugene Jackson in the San Jose-based promotion and notable victories over Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz, Chris Lytle and Joe Doerksen outside of it. The 27-year-old fighter dropped a unanimous decision to Jay Hieron at Strikeforce “Miami” last January.
Chicago’s Taylor knocked Ryan Sturdy out with a head kick at Bellator Fighting Championships 14 last April. Taylor’s sole career defeat came against Nate Moore via a second-round TKO at Strikeforce/M-1 Global “Fedor vs. Rogers” last November in Hoffman Estates, Ill. Taylor has notched back-to-back wins, including the win against Sturdy, since November.
Strikeforce Challengers 10 will air live on Showtime. Read more -
Weekend Rundown: Busy Riggs Wins Again
By: Brian Knapp
UFC and Strikeforce veteran Joe Riggs, fighting for the second time in a week, struck Nick Almen into submission in the Ironman MMA 1 main event on Friday at the Treasure Island Resort and Casino in Welch, Minn. Riggs brought the match to a definitive close 1:51 into round one, as he buried Almen under a hailstorm of punches and elbows.
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The 27-year-old Riggs has rattled off four consecutive victories since his technical knockout loss to 2006 Pride welterweight grand prix winner Kazuo Misaki in September 2008. The Sanford, Maine, native has secured 29 of his 32 career wins by knockout, TKO or submission and holds notable victories over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 winner Kendall Grove and current Strikeforce standout Nick Diaz. Grossly outmatched, Almen has dropped 10 straight bouts, all of them finishes. -
Weekend Rundown: Riggs, Magalhaes, Curran Notch Wins
By: Brian Knapp
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 light heavyweight finalist Vinny Magalhaes submitted Mike Nickels with an armbar in the featured bout at Ring of Fire 36 “Demolition” on Friday at the Magness Arena in Denver. Nickels waved the white flag 1:19 into round one.
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Magalhaes set up the submission with a standing combination, followed by a takedown into side control. Soon after, he trapped Nickels’ arm and left “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 veteran no choice but to ask out of the fight. The 27-year-old Magalhaes evened his record with the victory, his second in a row since a decision loss to Eliot Marshall at UFC 97.
Other winners at Ring of Fire 36 included Duane Ludwig, who struck fellow UFC castaway Ryan Roberts into submission in 2:05, and Anthony Morrison, who forced Alvin Robinson to tapout to strikes 69 seconds into their match. In addition, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 9 semi-finalist Cameron Dollar submitted Kit Cope with a first-round rear-naked choke. -
Fourth Title Fight Added to Strikeforce
By: Loretta Hunt
As if three championship bouts weren’t enough, Strikeforce will introduce another title tilt for its Aug. 15 card at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
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As reported by MMAWeekly.com on Monday, abrasive Stockton native Nick Diaz will face the equally quarrelsome Joe Riggs for promotion’s newly minted welterweight title. Sources have revealed to Sherdog.com that the promotion will unveil the bout later this week, but it is a done deal.
The rematch will undoubtedly pick right up from the hospital corridors where this oil-and-vinegar couple treated medical personnel to a gratis bonus round following their UFC 57 contest in February 2006 (Riggs persevered in the Octagon with a unanimous decision before going back for seconds).
A storyline this one doesn’t lack, but what worries me is mathematics. I hope Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker and crew aren’t counting on quick turnarounds and have discussed logistics with Showtime for what is becoming a particularly lengthy night. With four title bouts touting the possibility of 25-minute durations, can this championship quartet play out on the presumed two-hour telecast? Will the show get an extra hour? Or will someone be booted to the undercard, and if so, who?
