At one point in time Joe Riggs (40-14) was a force to be reckoned within the UFC’s welterweight division. Riggs even managed to wriggle his way into a title shot at then champion Matt Hughes at UFC 56, after Karo Parisyan was forced to withdraw from the bout. Going 4-4 in the UFC, Riggs’ last bout with the promotion was at UFN 7 in 2006, where he fell victim to a viscous flying knee from Diego Sanchez.
After parting with the UFC, Riggs was less than consistent in his performances, unable to amass more than a couple of consecutive wins at a time. In the early part of 2011 “Diesel” went on a three fight skid, before ultimately stringing together his current six fight win streak. Along the way, Riggs also managed to become the winner Bellator’s Fight Master reality show.
As of late, the future had been looking even brighter for Joe Riggs. Last week UFC officials announced that Riggs would make his long awaited return to the Octagon in Brasilia, Brazil, against 15-7 Paulo Thiago at UFC Fight Night on September 13th.
Unfortunately for the man who once went extra rounds with Nick Diaz at a hospital, and fought at heavyweight against Herb Dean, things don’t always go as planned.
UFC officials announced Tuesday that on Monday night while Riggs was cleaning a handgun, for which he has a permit, the gun discharged, injuring Joe’s hand and upper thigh. Joe Riggs was taken to the hospital, where he is currently being treated by physicians.
This isn’t the first time an athlete has made headlines for shooting accidentally shooting themselves. While the incident has drawn some comparisons to the 2008 Plaxico Burruss fiasco, this instance sounds more like an unfortunate in-home gun cleaning accident, rather than a night out at the club gone wrong.
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