MMA Promotions Reportedly Interested In Matt Riddle, Potential Big-Draw Opponent

Matt Riddle announced last week that he was no longer working for WWE. Veteran wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer claimed earlier this week that one major MMA company had shown interest in bringing Riddle back to the combat sport. In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Meltzer wrote that "most" pro wrestling promotions are interested in signing Riddle, while MMA companies Professional Fighters League and Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship were looking to snap up the former UFC fighter due to his name value from WWE and because of his MMA ability.

Meltzer mentioned that he could "easily see" PFL wanting to put Riddle against Jake Paul, the brother of part-time WWE star Logan Paul. He wrote that Paul is set to enter the world of MMA and that a debut clash with Riddle would be one of the more "marketable choices," with PFL likely to be looking for a "name opponent" that Paul could overcome. It was announced earlier this year that Paul, who defeated Nate Diaz in his eighth professional boxing fight last month, had inked a multi-year deal with PFL.

Riddle's last MMA fight took place in February 2014 for Titan Fighting Championship, where he defeated Michael Kuiper via submission in the second round. His time with UFC, which lasted from 2008 to 2013, came to an end after he failed a second drug test. His victories over Chris Clements and Che Mills were overturned as a result of testing positive for marijuana. It's said that WWE released Riddle because he "burned through too many chances" with the promotion.