Matt Riddle’s mixed martial arts career continues to get stranger and stranger.
A welterweight clash between Riddle and veteran Nathan Coy, scheduled for next week’s Bellator 109 in Riddle’s hometown of Bethlehem, Pa., is now off, Coy told Bloody Elbow on Wednesday afternoon.
“He bailed out. I’m not happy about it,” Coy said.
Coy, who is healthy and ready to go, was not told why the bout, which was scheduled to be a part of the evening’s televised card, was scrapped.
“As far as I know, maybe he was sick and didn’t get the proper training in. I’d love to have him in the first round of the tournament and smash him up,” Coy said. “Maybe he wants to put it off. I’ll fight him no problem. If he wants to wait until he can be better another day, I’m fine with that. Just make sure you man up and fight that day. I don’t know what he’s trying to accomplish here by playing games. This is my livelihood. I’m supporting my family by doing this. I needed this opportunity like he needed this opportunity. It’s his hometown. What the hell’s going on? He should be thrilled to fight on that card. Apparently not. Apparently he doesn’t want that.”
Coy said the winner of the bout was going to be in the Season 10 welterweight tournament, which will start this winter. However, Coy said Bellator told him he will be included in that tournament.
An email message sent to Bellator on Wednesday afternoon, seeking clarification of why the bout was canceled and what Coy and Riddle’s status was for the upcoming tournament, went unreturned as of press time.
“Let’s fight, you’re a fighter,” Coy said of Riddle. “This is what we got into the sport for, to test ourselves.”
Coy is a 17-fight MMA veteran who has fought for Strikeforce and the MFC, where he captured the promotion’s welterweight championship last year. He made his Bellator debut in September with a unanimous decision win over Andy Uhrich in a preliminary bout. He has won five straight fights.
“This was a great opportunity for me to get my name out there and it was taken away,” Coy said. “This is what we’re all fighting for – a chance to get on television. This was a chance for me to get noticed, to be recognized, and display my skills.”
Riddle announced his retirement in September after having to pull out of the fall tournament due to injury, but it was short-lived when he got the bout with Coy. He told MMAJunkie.com that he had a “hissy fit.” Riddle, a 12-fight MMA veteran, has competed exclusively in the UFC, where he amassed a 7-3 record, and had two other wins overturned after failing the post-fight drug screening.
He was released from the promotion and signed a contract with Legacy Fighting Championship, but Bellator bought the contract. Riddle’s current status with the promotion is unclear.
Coy will join us this coming Tuesday on a jam-packed edition of Bloody Elbow Radio to speak more about this story and how it affects a fighter when a bout is scrapped. We’ll also welcome Jared Rosholt and Zach Makovsky to the show.