Riggs Withdraws from Title Fight

GracieFighter.com is reporting that the Joe Riggs vs. Nick Diaz title fight, scheduled for Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg on August 15th has been canceled, cutting the number of title fights on that card in half.
The bout between Diaz and Riggs was to crown the organization’s first ever welterweight champion. The two had met before at UFC 57, where Riggs scored a unanimous decision victory over Diaz. Since that loss, Diaz has gone on to win 9 of his last 11 contests while Riggs has gone 6-4.

According to the report on GracieFighter.com, Riggs pulled out of the fight "after suffering a bad reaction to an as of yet undisclosed drug". The report noted that Riggs will be staying in the hospital for the next several weeks, and it's unknown if the problem is physical or mental.

Riggs last fight was on June 6, 2009, where he defeated Phil Baroni at Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields via unanimous decision.

No replacement has been named for Diaz, although it is expected that Strikeforce will be announcing a new opponent for Diaz in the next couple of days

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Nick Diaz and Joe Riggs compete for Welterweight Title at Strikeforce

Nick Diaz and Joe Riggs went head to head in a slug fest at UFC 57. Both fighters will compete in a rematch on the main card of Strikeforce "Carano vs. Cyborg" on Aug. 15. The bout will be for the newly created welterweight title.

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Diaz vs Shamrock to Main Event Strikeforce

Three-time world champion and mixed martial arts legend, Frank Shamrock (24-9-1), will make his dramatic return to the cage when he squares off with fellow knockout artist Nick Diaz (18-7, 1 NC) in the main event of Strikeforce's first MMA event of the year at San Jose, California's HP Pavilion on Saturday, April 11.
The event represents the dawn of a new age for Strikeforce as it will be the first event under its new television agreement with premium television network SHOWTIME. The live telecast will feature up to five fights including the Shamrock-Diaz main event beginning live at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
The matchup, which will be contested at a catch weight of 179 lbs, is an opportunity for the hard-punching Diaz to avenge a devastating, 21-second knockout that his trainer, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master Cesar Gracie, suffered at the hands of Shamrock in the main event of Strikeforces historic MMA debut event at HP Pavilion on March 10, 2006.

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