If you’ve never heard the story about UFC fighters Nick Diaz and Joe Riggs getting into a fight at the hospital after already competing against each other earlier in the night at UFC 57, this is a video you do not want to miss.

One of the more infamous fights in UFC history happened not in the octagon, but in a hospital. After Joe Riggs defeated Nick Diaz by unanimous decision at UFC 57 in early 2006, the two men were taken to the same hospital.

They sat in rooms opposite each other and started up with the chit chat again, leading to a physical confrontation right there in the ward. Diaz has always maintained that Riggs attacked him.

But Riggs has finally told his side of the story, and he says Diaz attacked him – after a verbal smackdown, of course.

The fight itself wasn’t all that memorable although both UFC fighters put forth a solid effort and at the time it was a rather significant win for Riggs, who was coming off a loss to Matt Hughes in a title bout where he missed weight forcing the contest to be moved to a catchweight affair with no belt on the line.

Diaz was still very much the same Stockton bad boy the MMA world has come to know and love with his signature boxing style while constantly gesturing at Riggs to bring the action in their fight.

When it was over, however, Diaz came away with a loss and a trip to the hospital to get checked out after the three round war with Riggs. As a matter of fact, Riggs also had to head to the hospital to get examined by doctors and that’s when round four of their fight actually took place.

At one point, Riggs remembers the tangled mass tumbling into a linen closet.

“We were in close quarters, grabbing onto each other, almost like in a clinch,” Riggs said. From there, Diaz was able to pin Riggs to a wall.

“My hands were broken,” said Riggs. “I couldn’t hit him, so I was trying to knee him. I managed to get in some elbows. He had a gash on his hairline. His nose was bleeding.”

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Riggs said a burly cop finally tackled them and pulled them apart. The fighters were then sent to opposite ends of the facility for their medical care. A UFC-hired driver later took Riggs home, asked for his shirt splattered in the two fighters’ blood, then sold it on eBay a couple of years later.

“I heard that after this, no UFC fighters who have been opponents are sent the same hospital after a fight,” said Riggs. “They’re all separated.”

Over the years, he and Diaz have run into one another at events and functions. Riggs said they’ve nearly come to blows and always have to be separated.

“He’s f—–g crazy,” said Riggs. “Who would punch somebody at a hospital? I wouldn’t. That guy’s nuts.”

The infamous hospital skirmish has become cherished MMA folklore, the type of tale that fans cling to for its authenticity. Riggs said he’s asked about it more than any of his legitimate fights in the Octagon. Fans are constantly questioning fighters’ motivations and debating just how tough they really are. With these two, there will never be any question.

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[sources : foxsports.com, bloodyelbow.com, si.com href=”http://www.si.com/mma/2013/07/23/nick-diaz-joe-riggs-hospital-fight”%5D