Joe 'Diesel' Riggs to Make Pro Boxing Debut

Longtime mixed martial arts fighter Joe "Diesel" Riggs will trade in his four-ounce gloves for 10-ounce gloves when he makes his professional boxing debut on May 23 from the Casino Del Sol's outdoor AVA Amphitheater in Tucson, Arizona. Fighting under the Roy Jones Jr. Boxing Promotions banner, Riggs will lace-up against heavyweight David Damore (1-6-3, 1 KO) in a four-round bout.

Streaming live on UFC Fight Pass, Riggs and Damore will square off in the opening fight of the Tucson show. Riggs, 36, owns a 50-18-1 professional MMA record with memorable matches taking place across the most recognized promotions in the game, including the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Bellator MMA, Strikeforce, M-1 Global, and World Extreme Cagefighting, for which he was also their middleweight champion.

Competing in MMA for close to 18 years, Riggs has also gone 3-0 fighting in professional bare-knuckle boxing matches. Riggs, who fights out of Phoenix, will face another Arizona native in Damore, who hails from Glendale.

Headlining the card will be Germany's former WBC international female lightweight champion Ikram Kerwat (9-1, 5 KOs) against Brazilian Simone Da Silva (15-12, 6 KOs). The winner of the 10-round main event will walk away with the vacant WBC silver female lightweight championship.

Entering the ring with an undefeated record will be Max "The Baby Face Assassin" Ornelas to face Mexico's Alex "Xhino" Rangel (17-9, 4 KOs). Ranked 11 by the World Boxing Organization, the 12-0 Ornelas will put his winning streak on the line in the eight-round co-featured bout of the evening.