Matt Riddle was released from WWE this past September after spending years with the company. He will become a free agent on Thursday when his non-compete clause expires.
MMA past
Before becoming a star in the pro wrestling world, Riddle was an MMA fighter and most notably fought in the UFC. He hasn’t competed since February 2014.
While at the MMA Awards, Riddle spoke with MMA Junkie about whether he could make an MMA return.
“Yeah, oh yeah, I’ll say this. There’s been a lot of talk. I’ve been talking to a couple of promotions. I don’t want to get into it until it’s official, but I think 2024 is a very big possibility that I get back in the ring or cage and fight again. Pretty soon,” Riddle stated.
Riddle added, “Yeah, I feel like, and maybe this is a bad theory or a bad idea, I feel like you gotta get like beat up to leave. I feel like I left the UFC on a four-fight win streak, then won another fight in Titan FC and kinda just left, went to pro wrestling, did good, still doing it. Pro wrestling’s awesome but [I] still wanna get beat up. I wanna have my exit. But we’ll see. Maybe somebody beats me up. Maybe I keep winning. Who knows?”
The future
Riddle noted that he trains a few times a week but doesn’t do hard sparring. He has his black belt and has focused on jitsu as of late “because he’s had that itch.”
Riddle was asked about a possible UFC return despite having a negative relationship with UFC President Dana White.
“Never say never, right? If the opportunity is right. I don’t really hold a grudge. I talk a lot of shit. Sorry, I talk a lot of trash, but that’s about it. So if there’s business to be had, I’ll get business done. For me, there’s no things that really needs mending. [He] had his decision. I had mine. He went his way, I went my way, and I had great success. For me, there’s no problem. It’s just a matter of he’d want me to work for him again,” Riddle stated.
Finally, Riddle was asked how shocked he was to see CM Punk back in WWE.
“I’m not surprised because the one thing they [WWE] like [is] money, and CM Punk is money just like he was money in mixed-martial-arts. So, you can’t argue [with] a man that’s money. But, yeah, then that’s just like the UFC. I know if I fight, I’ll sell tickets,” Riddle stated.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit MMA Junkie with an h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
