My Two Cents on the Whole Riddle-Jones Thing
Okay, so I was just kicking back, scrolling through some old fight clips, and the whole Matt Riddle and Jon Jones thing popped back into my head. It’s funny how certain fighter beefs stick with you, even when they never actually happen in the cage.
I remember watching Jon Jones right from the start. Man, that guy was something else. Just a freak athlete. You could see the potential immediately. I followed his rise, saw him tear through the light heavyweight division. Unbelievable talent, seriously. But then, you know, all the stuff outside the cage started piling up. It got complicated. Watching him felt different after a while. Still dominant, but yeah, different vibes.
Then you got Matt Riddle. I first noticed him during his UFC run. Super laid back, always talking about being a “bro,” but a tough dude in the octagon. Decent fighter, definitely had skills, especially on the ground. What really made him stand out, though, was his mouth. He wasn’t afraid to say anything about anyone.
And that’s where Jones comes back into it. Riddle started calling out Jones. A lot. And not just respectfully, you know? It was pretty brazen. Here’s this guy, Riddle, not quite at the championship level Jones was at, constantly poking the bear. I watched this unfold over time. Read the interviews, saw the social media stuff.
My process was simple: just observe. Listen to what Riddle was saying. See how Jones reacted (or mostly didn’t react, publicly at least). I tried to figure out Riddle’s angle. Was it genuine dislike? Was it just trying to get attention, make a name for himself by calling out the biggest dog in the yard? Probably a bit of both, I reckon.
- Watched Jones fight over the years.
- Saw Riddle’s UFC career and his personality.
- Tracked the callouts and the online back-and-forth (mostly one-sided).
- Formed my own opinion on the dynamic.
It always struck me as a classic fight game tactic. Pick a fight with the top guy, hope it gets you noticed, maybe even gets you that big payday fight. Jones was mostly dismissive, which honestly, made sense from his position. Why entertain someone you see as beneath you professionally?
In the end, the fight never happened, of course. Riddle went off to WWE and did his thing there, Jones moved up to heavyweight. It just became one of those “what if” scenarios, mostly fueled by Riddle’s trash talk. Looking back, it was an interesting little sideshow. Showed you a lot about fighter personalities and how they try to navigate the crazy world of combat sports. Just another chapter in the ongoing saga, I guess.
