Matt Riddle returns, leaves retirement and agrees to return to Bellator

M. Riddle returns to MMA after announcing his retirement. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC

Matt Riddle's retirement was short-lived. Three weeks after announcing that he would hang up his gloves, the American went back and announced that he will make his Bellator debut in 2013. The fighter, who had blamed Bellator as the biggest culprit for his retirement, for not providing support with an injury in the rib, he went back and arranged his return to the organization.

“I never wanted to retire. I was frustrated and things came to a head, but it's water under the bridge. They (Bellator) took care of me, they realized that I have a family to feed and bills to pay. It means a lot to me that instead of writing me off, they went out of their way to find me a fight this year. I signed a contract that says they will pay me even if they don't find me an opponent. I think Bellator would rather pay me to fight rather than sit at home, so I'll wait and see who they get me and start training from then on," Riddle said to the MMA Fighting website.

Riddle, 27 years old, has an MMA record of seven wins and three losses, all of which were fought in the UFC. In March of this year, he was cut from the organization after being caught twice in anti-doping for using marijuana.

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