Matt Riddle withdraws from fight again and is fired by Bellator

M. Riddle during weigh-in at Ultimate. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC

Welterweight Matt Riddle's stint at Bellator didn't last long. After withdrawing from the fight he would have against Nathan Coy, on November 22, the North American ended up being released by the organization.

It was the second time that Riddle withdrew from a Bellator commitment. A few months ago, he pulled out of the welterweight tournament due to a rib injury. The event's communications director, Anthony Mazzuca, gave more details about the decision.

“Matt was a guy we had high hopes for upon his arrival at Bellator. After he suffered his rib injury and left our tournament, we gave him another fight on November 22nd. Unfortunately, Matt informed us that he would not be fighting, and at that point we decided to release him,” he commented. “We wish him all the best in his future negotiations”, concluded Mazzuca.

Without even entering the Bellator cage, Riddle had a troubled time at the event. After his rib injury, the fighter announced his retirement from MMA and harshly criticized the organization by claiming he had received little support. However, he went back and signed to fight Coy.

Previously, he was caught anti-doping on two occasions in the UFC, for marijuana, in fights against Chris Clements and Che Mills. Thus, all of his fights as a professional remain in the UFC, where he has a record of 12 wins, three losses and two no contest (fight with result annulled).