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Spark another owl? Not if you plan to fight for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
That's a lesson Matt Riddle learned the hard way when he was released by the world's largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion earlier this week for failing a drug test for marijuana.
"Deep Waters" was popped in the wake of his split decision win over Che Mills at the UFC on FUEL TV 7 event back on Feb. 16 in London. The former Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7 contestant also pissed green for his UFC 149 win over Chris Clements in Toronto last July.
Riddle tells BJ Penn Radio his former employers "hate" people who smoke weed.
"It does bother me, for some reason the UFC hates people who smoke weed. The whole MMA industry for some reason hates people that smoke marijuana. I don't know why, I keep to myself for the most part. I smoke weed and I fight. Usually, I put on exciting fights or I dominate people. I always go out there and fight. It's stupid that I got fired over a plant, but other people think it's stupid that I just won't stop smoking. I quit three weeks before my fight and this is what works for me. If you were me or lived with me you'd understand. I knew it might come up one day and I thought about going to talk to a lawyer, but for now I'm just trying to figure out my next step. I'm not too worried, but at the same time I just can't sleep on it. The only good thing is the athletic commission didn't suspend me because it was a UFC administered drug test. They can't suspend me so I can fight tomorrow, but I'd fail a drug test tomorrow though so I'll wait a month or so!"
Sounds like he's found a way to cope with the bad news.
Similar to his fiasco up north, Riddle will have his win changed to a "no contest." And, like Nick Diaz, he's also a member of the medical marijuana card-carrying club, even moving from Pennsylvania to Nevada just so he could legally self-medicate.
He doesn't have a choice in what he calls "White America."
Whether or not UFC has it out for the potheads is a bit cloudy. What we do know, is that Riddle's job went up in smoke. But can he find a way to stay employed in combat sports without giving up his joint venture?
Time will tell.
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