Matt Riddle Out of Bellator 100, Announces Retirement
Former TUF 7 contestant Matthew Riddle has had quite the tumultuous year, and it’s lead to him apparently announcing his retirement from mixed martial arts today. Although he was scheduled to face off with Luis Melo at Bellator 100, he injured a rib and stated he can no longer afford to wait for a bout to materialize:
I’m retiring from MMA today, I cracked my rib and I can’t fight sept 20th @BellatorMMA can’t give me a fight this year so I can’t afford it!
— matthew riddle (@riddletuf7) September 10, 2013
His saga began in the aftermath of his UFC 149 Submission of the Night performance over Chris Clements, which was later turned to a No Contest after Riddle tested positive for marijuana. Riddle came out as a staunch proponent of marijuana use, even going as far as to provide proof of his legal ability to use THC medially.
However, that didn’t matter too much in the eyes of the NSAC, and they again overturned a Riddle win due to marijuana use, this time a split decision over Che Mills at UFC on FUEL TV 7. The second No Contest earned him his walking papers from the UFC, and he soon signed with Bellator FC.
“Deep Waters” was set to throw down in the quarterfinals of the Welterweight tourney on September 20th, but his injured ribs leave him without a bout for the rest of the year, apparently causing him too much financial strain to continue training without getting paid.
It’s an odd scenario for the 27-year-old Riddle, who never had a professional MMA bout outside of the Octagon. He was a talented combatant, sporting a 7-3(2) record, and could have done major damage inside the Bellator FC cage (unless he somehow met up with Ben Askren). Still, it’s financially tough to be anything but one of the best MMA fighters, especially when you’ve been on the shelf for the majority of the year with no fight on the foreseeable horizon.
What is your take on Riddle’s abrupt retirement? Will he eventually return to an MMA cage?
