Ben Saunders on UFC on FOX 13 win over Joe Riggs: 'I feel a little cheated'

Ben Saunders and Joe Riggs

UFC welterweight Ben Saunders had to look at referee John McCarthy to make sure what he was seeing was correct.

Saunders was looking at a tapping hand on his thigh just moments after opponent Joe Riggs had lifted him into the air and slammed him to the mat.

“I’m thinking, ‘Is this really happening?'” Saunders told MMAjunkie Radio. “That’s why when I looked at ‘Big’ John – to see if this is legit.”

As it turned out, it was. Riggs (40-15 MMA, 5-4 UFC) had injured his neck on the fall and felt his arm go numb. When the feeling didn’t come back, he tapped out, awarding Saunders (18-6-2 MMA, 6-3 UFC) an encouraging, if unsatisfying, victory at this past Saturday’s UFC on FOX 13 event at U.S. Airways Arena in Phoenix.

Saunders, 31, celebrated his win in the octagon as officials entered the cage, but he couldn’t help but glance over at Riggs’ corner.

“He’s grabbing the back of his neck and ear, and I was like, ‘That doesn’t seem right,'” Saunders said. “That’s when I went over to see if everything is OK.”

Word on the extent of the injury should come this week for Riggs, who returned to the octagon after an eight-year layoff and accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound delayed his comeback.

Saunders remains happy to get the win, but there is a downside to the way things ended.

“Due to the situation, we both pretty much got out of the picture for a potential ($50,000 fight-night) bonus, so it really sucked,” Saunders said. “I know he was coming to scrap, I was coming to scrap, so for it to end like that kind of sucks.”

Now, Saunders is waiting to hear what’s next on his list of challenges. He does so with a few questions: Will he rematch Riggs? Will the UFC book him against another opponent? Is a win via injury submission as valuable as one without any complications?

Saunders said despite his victory, he apologized to promotion executives afterward for the result. He felt the matchup had been put together because he and Riggs were exciting fighters who could deliver a “Fight of the Night” offering, and despite the fact that the injury wasn’t his fault, he felt as though he had shortchanged the UFC and fans.

“I feel a little cheated, as far as being able to give you guys some good entertainment,” Saunders said. “We’ll see what happens. I’ll try my best to stay on point.”

After a four-year layoff, Saunders, a veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter 6,” got a chance to stage his own comeback. He returned to the octagon in August and performed well, becoming the first fighter to submit an opponent with an omaplata submission hold.

Two wins into his second life in the UFC, Saunders is optimistic about his chances to make a run toward the title. Now, he just needs a fight where there’s no question about the result.

If that leads him to a rematch with Riggs, he’s fine with that. If there’s another opponent on the horizon, that’s fine, too.

“I feel like a kid in college taking finals,” he said. “I’m sitting here studying, training my damn ass off, mentally and physically. You hear it time and time again, people are ridiculously talented in the gym, but when it comes down to it, can they perform when it counts? I can take the feedback, but it seems like everything is working out.”

For more on UFC on FOX 13, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show, available on SiriusXM channel 92, is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.