The Saga Continues: Matt Riddle Released By Bellator

Embattled former UFC Welterweight Matt Riddle just can’t seem to stay out of the news for all the wrong reasons. Despite being an effective if not spectacular combatant in the Octagon, Riddle repeatedly ran afoul of several drug screens due to his love of medical marijuana.

Although he was licensed to use the grass for medical reasons, that didn’t fly with state athletic commissions. Riddle became a liability and was released from the world’s biggest MMA promotion.

He soon found a home with Bellator MMA, who booked Riddle to compete in their Season 9 Welterweight tournament. Riddle was forced to withdraw from his initial bout due to a rib injury. When Bellator said they couldn’t find him a fight before the end of 2013, Riddle famously said he had “bills to pay” and would be retiring from MMA altogether.

But that was short lived.

Bellator booked Riddle in an upcoming bout against Nathan Coy at this Friday’s Bellator 109, giving him a chance to re-prove himself and his dedication to fighting while earning him the paycheck he so vehemently desired.

However, Riddle withdrew from that bout as well, prompting the promotion to release the heavy baggage of Riddle’s contract according to Bellator Director of Communications Anthony Mazzuca:

“Matt was a guy we had high hopes for coming into Bellator. After Matt suffered his rib injury and withdrew from our tournament, we went back to the drawing board and got Matt another fight on November 22nd. Unfortunately, Matt very recently informed us he would not be fighting on November 22nd from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and at that point we decided to release Matt from Bellator. We wish him the best in his future endeavors.” – via MMA Mania

And who can blame them?

After all, the promotion did everything in their power to give the kid what he wanted. The only thing he did was throw a wrench in their plans without even stepping into the cage one single time. Perhaps he knew he wouldn’t pass the drug test, perhaps he was out of shape, whatever.

The Matt Riddle saga has come to a close, at least for now. He may show up in WSOF or an even smaller promotion sometime soon, but that promotion will be taking a huge risk. He was without a doubt a talented fighter with solid potential. Unfortunately, that talent has gone to waste.