Joe Riggs victorious despite broken hand at "Strikeforce: Destruction"

Originally posted on MMAjunkie.com

Joe Riggs (29-10) has been through more than his share of difficult situations. But at his recent bout with Luke Stewart at "Strikeforce: Destruction," the "Diesel" found himself facing a brand new challenge.

"I broke my hand like the first 10 seconds of the fight," Riggs told TAGG Radio (www.taggradio.com), the official radio partner of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "It [expletive] sucked.

"I've never broken my hand in a fight. If that's what it feels like, I don't want to do that [expletive]. That hurt."

Riggs said he broke his left hand almost as soon as the bout began. What happened next was far different than the 26-year-old ever imagined.

"The first minute of the fight I threw a counter left hand that hit him right on the forehead and broke it immediately," Riggs said. "I broke my hand before, but never in a fight. For some reason I was under the impression that when you break your hand during a fight, it goes numb. That's a bunch of [expletive]."

Riggs was largely ineffective throughout the opening five minutes, and the frustration of the situation was evident on his face. The Arizona native said the pain began to subside as the first round came to a close.

"It numbed up right towards the end of the first round," Riggs said. "But until then I couldn't defend a takedown, I couldn't get any wrist control. I couldn't do anything. I was Captain Hook in there, man. A one armed man."

As Riggs was able to regain use of his hand, the seven-year veteran came out in the second round with renewed vigor. A series of punches from the feet saw Riggs force referee "Big" John McCarthy to make his first stoppage in nearly a year.

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