Matt Riddle has retired from mixed martial arts at the age of 27, having withdrawn from his scheduled Bellator debut with a rib injury. ‘Deep Waters’ was expected to face Luis Melo Jr. on September 20th, in the Bellator 100 welterweight tournament quarter-finals.
“I’m retiring from MMA today,” Riddle explained via Facebook. “Cracked my rib and can’t fight Sept. 20. Bellator said they can’t find me a fight till the next tournament and I can’t afford not fighting that long and need a job. Sorry if I let anyone down but it isn’t paying the bills.”
The unfortunate and premature end to Riddle’s career comes with the charismatic UFC veteran having only ever competed under the UFC banner, Riddle made his MMA debut at The Ultimate Fighter Season 7 Finale in 2008.
Having earned his place on this show with a highlight knockout, Riddle came up short as a TUF 7 contender, however proceeded to beat Dante Rivera at the season finale, before mounting a total career record of 7-3 with two no-contests.
The much debated no-contests came as the result of positive drug tests highlighting marijuana in the American’s system, with Riddle having initially won both fights. Despite using marijuana for medicinal purposes, the second positive test resulted in his release from the UFC, following a decision victory over Che Mills in London at UFC on Fuel TV in February.
