Matt Riddle fires back at Dana White: ‘You literally tried to ruin my career / life’

Before WWE NXT standout Matt Riddle built a name for himself as the “Original Bro” on the indy pro wrestling circuit, he spent five years under contract with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He competed on 2008’s The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7, fought 12 times for the promotion, and racked up an 8-3 record. That would actually be 10-3 if he hadn’t tested positive for marijuana metabolites twice, overturning two of those wins.

His original suspension was back in the day where some commissions were nailing fighters for any trace amounts of marijuana in their systems. But UFC moved to a much more reasonable 150ng/mL threshold in 2013, which Riddle still managed to fail in his second fight back. UFC had enough and released him, which led to several back and forths between Riddle and UFC President, Dana White.

Riddle called out UFC on what he considered some pretty serious hypocrisy: why act like he killed someone when they’d been letting fighters compete with testosterone exemptions? White called Riddle a “weak minded dummy” who couldn’t pass a drug test. That animosity between the two flared back up in 2017 when Riddle said, “sometimes I’m like f**k that dude Dana White because he is an asshole, he was really cold blooded toward me.”

In a recent Barstool Sports interview, White responded to all that past drama.

“I’ve heard interviews with Matt Riddle and he’s very fired up about being let go and everything,” White said. “At that place and that time where we were, it was the right move. I’m happy for him. I’m happy that he’s been successful and he’s doing well.”

“I don’t wish the kid any ill will. I don’t hate Matt Riddle or dislike Matt Riddle in any way. I know he feels the opposite, as he should, but I don’t wish him any ill will or anything. But no, I don’t regret the decision that I made at that time.”

Riddle’s response was anything but chill.

”Dana I’m not mad that you fired me,” Riddle wrote on Instagram. “I’m mad because you’re a heartless moron with too much money and power and felt the need to call me a loser after you fired me when I was on a four-fight win streak and had my 3rd child almost bankrupting me. Also to say it was the right call to fire me is the dumbest thing ever, you literally tried to ruin my career/life because your a little bald bitch that couldn’t control me, so stop lying it’s sad bro.”

We wonder if Riddle considers White’s decision to fire him the attempt to ruin his career/life, or if something else happened after once Riddle was on White’s s**tlist for bringing up treatment, pay, and steroid issues within the company. We’re sure more details will continue to slowly leak out as Riddle’s career in professional wrestling continues.

Because everyone loves a good feud.