MMA veteran Joe Riggs made a strong claim for 2014's strangest MMA-related story when he withdrew from his UFC return bout with Paulo Thiago at UFC Fight Night 51 due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the hand and leg. Now he has to deal with the unfortunate aftereffects of that: having a huge, gaping hole in his thigh.
Celebrity gossip site TMZ visited Riggs at what appears to be his Arizona home to discuss his injuries and, warning, there is some seriously graphic content therein. In the video, TMZ shows off the entrance and exit wounds on Riggs' left thigh. His hand, meanwhile, is covered in about six inches of gauze and bandages.
"The bullet just blew out all this muscle here," he said, pointing to the cameraman's palm. "From here," pointing to just above the wrist "all the way down to the top of my knuckle."
Riggs isn't calling it quits on his fighting career, however. When asked about a return, he said "I'm shooting for the UFC show down here in December," referencing UFC on Fox 13, which is slated for December 13 in Phoenix, Arizona.
"Diesel" had one of the most colorful stints in UFC history, fighting eight times from 2004 to 2006. His relatively brief time with the promotion included several noteworthy, however, most notably his non-title fight with welterweight champion Matt Hughes (Riggs missed weight after accepting the bout on short notice) and his hospital brawl with Nick Diaz.
Riggs would be released by the UFC after a 2-3 stretch, and he became a successful journeyman, bouncing between various promotions, most notably Strikeforce and Rage in the Cage. After joining the MMA Lab, however, he compiled a six-fight winning streak, most recently taking top honors in Bellator's Fight Master series by defeating Mike Bronzoulis at Bellator 106.
It is currently unknown how long Riggs will be shelved from this injury, but make sure to stick with Bleacher Report to find out.
