Matt Riddle Moves Up To Middleweight For Titan FC Debut On February 28
Former The Ultimate Fighter contestant Matt Riddle had quite the up-and-down 2013, beginning with his release from the UFC stemming from a second failed drug test for marijuana. He quickly signed on with Legacy FC, but his contract was soon bought out by Bellator MMA, who sought Riddle as part of the welterweight tournament on their 100th show.
Riddle was forced to pull of out that fight with a broken rib, then subsequently retired from MMA when Bellator could not get him a fight before the end of last year. But the promotion did find a bout for Riddle, booking him against Nathan Coy at Bellator 109.
It looked like the saga was over, but unfortunately that was far from the case. Riddle pulled out of his bout with Coy and was released from Bellator for good after never even stepping foot into their cage.
The seemingly never-ending saga of Riddle continues today as the embattled marijuana advocate has signed onto Titan Fighting Championships and will move up to middleweight for a bout against fellow UFC veteran Michael Kuiper on February 28 in Kansas City.
It’s an odd juxtaposition for Riddle, who fought every single one of his MMA fights inside the illustrious Octagon but will now make his way down to the feeder leagues. There’s no question that Riddle has the talent and skills to contend with some of the best, but after getting into “Deep Waters” with the world’s two biggest MMA promotions, it’s hard to imagine anyone taking him seriously at this point.
And for good reason, because all he really provided to the promotions in 2013 was a bunch of headaches. Will his Titan FC run spur a turnaround for Riddle, or will it just be the latest stop on his disappointing downward spiral?
