The year is 2006. The UFC is in Vegas, as usual, this time putting on a show at the expansive Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. As the headliner for the event, UFC 57, Randy Couture is taking on Chuck Liddell for the Light Heavyweight Championship. It is the third meeting between the two UFC mega-stars. In an effort to start the show with a bang, the UFC throws two young welterweights into the Octagon--the enigmatic Joe "Diesel" Riggs, a workout wonder who never seems to perform as well as he practices, and Nick Diaz, the mercurial Stockton boy with a chip on his shoulder. By the time the opening bell rings, the two are at a fever pitch, the hatred flowing through the television into living rooms across the nation. Rewind a bit. Leading up to the fight, a war of words begins between the two fighters. On the way through the long, wide concourse leading to the Convention Center at Mandalay Bay, Joe Riggs is walking towards the arena with friend and Miletich teammate Tim Sylvia. Not far behind them is Nick Diaz and his equally irritable brother Nate. An awkward exchange ensues when the two fighters, set to compete against each other the next day, make eye contact. Diaz, in no mood for talking, attempts to continue onward as if Riggs wasn't there. Riggs, somewhat more conversational, greets them and attempts to make small talk. Nick cuts him off. "Are you going to make weight?" asks Diaz. Riggs, who had missed weight and thus missed a chance at Matt Hughes' title months earlier, immediately fires back. "You'd better hope not." They enter the Convention Center and head to the backstage area before being weighed-in. At the weigh-ins the two exchange dirty looks and posturing. Bad feelings are brewing. Obscenities are exchanged and the two are seperated. Sometimes in boxing and even in MMA fighters will try to hype up a fight by feigning ill will towards each other. This isn't fake. They've known each other for a matter of hours and they are already enemies. Fast forward to the fight. The referee for the affair is Mario Yamasaki. The UFC couldn't use Herb Dean that night because Riggs has actually fought Dean before, pummeling him into submission within a minute. In the first round Diaz lands a few short punches that drop Riggs to one knee. In the second round, Riggs opens up scar tissue on Diaz's face and his well-worn crimson mask reappears. In the third round two visibly tired fighters exchange to the last second in front of a standing, roaring crowd. The decision is split, with two judges scoring the bout 29-28 in favor of Riggs. Which is where the fight should've ended, but it didn't. The two are cordial in the ring, but after the fight tempers flare again. Both fighters are sent to the hospital for precautionary examinations, a typical outcome for such a grueling bout. Smartly, the hospital keeps them far apart. Not far apart enough, however. Each fighter claims the other fighter invaded his personal space--the truth is they were both looking for more. They find each other, exchange more profanities, and before anyone knows it round four has begun. Riggs, an IV still in his arm, and Diaz, with fresh stitches, pounce on each other. A screaming nurse in the backgroud, Riggs drives Diaz into a wall and grabs his leg, the IV slipping out of his arm and blood spraying everywhere. Diaz sinks double-underhooks and starts kneeing him while hopping on one foot. Eventually a large security guard is able to pull them apart. Strangely, both fighters continue on with the UFC. Each fight three more times for the UFC, after which Diaz heads to Japan while Riggs stays stateside to compete for Strikeforce. Diaz, now a free agent, has recently made his way back to the UFC, though in the form of a corner man for his successful younger brother Nate. Riggs once described Nate as a barnacle hanging from Nick's nutsack, which became evident with Nate's equally fiery behaviour on the BJ Penn/Jens Pulver season of The Ultimate Fighter. Past MMA Moments: 01 The Legend of Joe Son 02 Lightning Lee Murray 03 Lethal Weapon
