The relationship between a hunter and a promoter will not always be perfect.
Dana White has had a number of rocky relationships with various remarkable UFC hunters while he continues to bring the sport to new heights.
Although most of the time is only the case, there have been some public feud between the promotion and the athletes on the Roster.
None of them ever escalated further than the rivalry of White with Tito Ortiz, although there are several examples in which the bridge has never been rebuilt.
It was clear that this would be the result for one disagreement that led to Blank became public with his criticism of a former hunter.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
Matt Riddle says he had remained confused by his meeting with Dana White after he was released from the UFC
In 2013, Matt Riddle was released from his UFC contract after the failure of his second drug test of the year, after he had been tested positively on Marijuana.
The former cast member of 'The Ultimate Fighter' would have been on a four-fighter-winning series if it was not that two of his victories were destroyed because of the test results.
Later in the year, Dana White appeared on Fox Sports and publicly closed Riddle's actions after the former UFC hunter had criticized the promotion in the media.
“The reason he is no longer in the UFC is because he could not pass a drug test!” White explained passionately. “The man could not pass a drug test. And think about this, you have to go to work three times a year and you could not endure a drug test? You are so weak.”
In a recent interview on TMZSports' Inside the Ring, Riddle was clearly open to talk about his relationship with the UFC president, which stated: “Oh, bring that bald b- Dana.”
Riddle remembered how he crossed the paths with White shortly after his exit from the promotion, where he was confused why so much hostility came from his former boss.
“Actually, after I was released, I went to the MMA Awards and presented a prize … Dana was there and I went to say hello, what's going on. He not only made sure that I didn't only have to see me, but he meant me. He was like P – that I was even there.
“I'm like a guy, you fired me. I had to sell my house and restart in a new journey of professional struggle. I have not ruined your life, you have ruined my life. Admittedly, I will take responsibility, I have ruined my life all the time. But at the end of the day I don't get the hatred. ”
Matt Riddle believes that the WWE and UFC combination were not good for his career
After participating in his last MMA fight in 2014, Matt Riddle devoted himself to professional struggles, where he was signed at the WWE in 2018.
While Riddle is still actively struggling in various promotions, his run with WWE ended in September 2023 after several problems outside the ring.
The former UFC hunter is still optimistic about the possible return to WWE at a certain point along the line, but he is worried whether his two former houses that are now under the same roof can cause problems.
“Don't get me wrong, with WWE, I don't think I was on good conditions with many people, but I really don't think that the merger of TKO and the UFC helped that relationship completely.”