UFC president Dana White wasn’t amused by former The Ultimate Fighter competitor and UFC veteran Matt Riddle’s recent interview with Ben Fowlkes. Riddle, who elected to retire from MMA when an injury forced him out of Bellator’s next MW tournament, voiced many complaints about the UFC and the MMA business in general.
Here are a couple highlights:
“I’ve had multiple surgeries,” Riddle said. “I get cut open, I’m in pain, and I can’t even pay my f—ing bills. People know who I am and I’m on TV all the time, but I can’t pay my f—ing bills, so who cares? What kind of sport is this? What’s the point of being in it if you can’t even make money? Especially a sport where you get torn open, get brain damage and bleed? And then people give me s–t because I’d rather retire and get a real job. At least that way I’ll get a check every week and not worry about someone trying to cut my face open or knock my f—ing teeth out.
“I’m just tired of the unethical people, the scumbags, all that,” Riddle said. “Maybe that’s how all businesses are run, but in MMA I’ve been in the UFC, Legacy and Bellator. The UFC was the best, and even they didn’t treat you that well. It just gets sh–tier on the way down. I’d rather get a real job, do some [jiu-jitsu], get my black belt and compete in some tournaments. And maybe I will fight in a year or two. But right now I’m so fed up with the people that run this sport, I don’t want anything to do with it.”
White was not amused and opened fire on Riddle on FS 1. He claimed that Riddle earned over $160,000 a year his last two years with the UFC and mocked Riddle’s inability to pass a drug test, even quoting Riddle’s comment that he smoked marijuana so “he didn’t beat his wife and kids.”
Riddle joins the ranks of ex-UFC fighters Jacob Volkmann and John Cholish who complained about fighter pay and earned Dana’s ire.
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