MMA Junkie ran their weekly interview with recently eliminated Ultimate Fighter, Matt Riddle, earlier this week. While most of the interview is pretty standard; the laughing, the joking, and a couple curse words here and there, there’s a couple of interesting tidbits worthy of reading.
Apparently Riddle, who trained at Team Russel Jiu-Jitsu before moving to Rat Pack Fighting Systems where he was currently training, had some news to share:
I’m probably going to train with (fellow castmate Mike) Dolce and all those guys at Team Quest North and then with Rampage at Big Bear (Calif.) with the high altitude and stuff to get ready for my fight… Rampage and I got along very well. I got along with Juanito, too, and all the coaches. They still call me to see what I’m doing.
The news doesn’t come as much of a surprise if you think about it. Riddle really needs to be training with other top caliber fighters like his friend from Team Quest and ex-IFL fighter, Mike Dolce along with Rampage and his friends at Big Bear. The surprise comes at how Riddle hints about his treatment from his friends at Rat Pack Fighting Systems.
Matt Riddle has a lot to say on this season of The Ultimate Fighter. The young fighter from New York is shown throughout the show talking to fellow fighters, his coaches, and the camera. He has been nicknamed “Smiley” and “Chipper” by the fighters and the coaches and you can see why. He’s certainly got a lot to say about himself and the sport, including this:
It doesn’t matter where you train - if you want it, you can get it.
While other fighters are training at Top Team, Serra’s BJJ Academy, and Team Quest, Riddle reminds us that he trains out of Palmerton, PA at Rat Pack Fighting Systems. And with his performance last night, you can clearly see that while a professional training team may help a fighter, it’s certainly not what makes a fighter.
For those who want to learn more about the man who delivered a devastating knockout to Dan Simmler on episode two of The Ultimate Fighter 7 earlier this week, here you go! Matt Riddle talks at the gym where he first start training BJJ, Team Russell Jiu-Jitsu.
“He really impressed me and he had great finishing technique,” exclaimed Forrest Griffin. Quinton Jackson said “it was one of the most gruesomest knockouts I’ve ever seen.” Now you can hear what Matt Riddle had to say about his first fight on The Ultimate Fighter 7, episode 2 against Dan Simmler. I met up with Matt Riddle for a few minutes after the second episode of TUF 7 to talk about the first round of the fight, what his parents though about him fighting, and what Quinton Jackson said to him after the fight.
Juanito Ibarra was in your corner for the fight, what did he tell you to do?
“Box like a Southpaw.” I’m a Southpaw and I only got like two minutes with the corner guys and they were like “what’s your style?” and I was like “I’m a wrestler and jiu-jitsu guy with heavy hands” so they said “box like a Southpaw.” So that’s what I did and you can see that it worked out for me.
This weeks episode of The Ultimate Fighter 7 highlighted a nasty knockout during the Matt Riddle/Dan Simmler fight. While the first round of the fight went back and forth, the second round ended quickly and in scary fashion. After heading out of his corner to touch gloves, Riddle caught Simmler with a vicious right hook and dropped him where he was able to land three more punches before Herb Dean could stop the fight. While Simmler lay unconscious and moaning on the canvas, the camera panned across the TUF 7 fighters. Solemn faces saw something they may never see in the cage again, a Grade 3 concussion. Symptoms include loss of consciousness for any amount of time and amnesia of more than five minutes. When Simmler awoke, he had no idea he had just fought on The Ultimate Fighter in Las Vegas.
According to Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology, when faced with a Grade 3 concussion:
Transport the athlete from the field to the nearest emergency department by ambulance if still unconscious or if worrisome signs are detected (with cervical spine immobilization, if indicated).
A thorough neurologic evaluation should be performed emergently, including appropriate neuroimaging procedures when indicated.
Hospital admission is indicated if any signs of pathology are detected, or if the mental status of the athlete remains abnormal.
Watch Matt Riddle from The Ultimate Fighter 7 at Grapplers Quest. What’s interesting is that Riddle took the belt for Advanced Men’s No-Gi Light-Heavyweight while his TUF opponent Dan Simmler won his division at Advanced Men’s No-Gi Heavyweight. Perhaps some trash talking and bad blood ensued?
You saw him deliver a devastating knockout against Dan Simmler on The Ultimate Fighter. You may have seen him dominate at the NAGA World’s or Battle of the Beach. Maybe you were lucky enough to train with “The Answer” before he began his quest on the 7th season of TUF to become to next big middleweight in the UFC. Or maybe you haven’t, so enjoy the following pictures of the guy who walked onto TUF 7 and impressed both Forrest Griffon and Quinton Jackson with his impressive “Southpaw red” knockout. If you want to see more of Matt Riddle, you’ve come to the right place. Many of the images below are property of Rat Pack Fighting Systems in Palmerton, PA. Please contact Nick or Sandy Masington at Rat Pack if you would like to learn more about Matt Riddle. Just tell them that Brandt from MMA Opinion sent you. Keep reading for the pics!
Few people have ever visited the small town of Palmerton, Pennsylvania. Situated in the mountains of the northeast region of the state, it’s home to The Ultimate Fighter’s newest sensation, 22 year old Matt “The Answer” Riddle. While Matt Riddle isn’t the only fighter from the show to come out of a small town, he certainly comes out with a big mouth and even bigger actions to back his words up. If you watched the second episode of The Ultimate Fighter, you saw Matt Riddle deliver one of the most brutal knockouts in the show’s history. A knockout that Quinton Jackson called “knockout of the century.” The young fighter, however, is probably one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He’s always smiling and more than willing to help anyone learn jiu-jitsu at the facility where he currently trains.
Going back a couple years to 2006, Matt Riddle begin his MMA experience at Jay Russell Jiu-Jitsu in upstate New York. After moving from New York to Pennsylvania to live with his family and train locally in April of 2007, he placed 2nd at the NAGA World’s in the Expert Division. Next came NAGA’s Battle at the Beach where Riddle took home the belt in the mens no-gi Expert division along with a win at Grapplers Quest, and at the Copa Atlantica BJJ tournament. While Riddle was winning these tournaments, he was still a white belt with less than two years of jiu-jitsu experience. He recently won his first amatuer MMA fight with a keylock at the “Battle of the Sun II” before trying out for The Ultimate Fighter in Newark, New Jersey where he was selected to be a part of the show.
Not only has Riddle gone further than most fighters in only 8 years, he also doesn’t train at a large regional facility hosted by a big name UFC star or a well-known trainer. Instead, you can find him in Palmerton, at Rat Pack Fighting Systems. MMA Opinion sat down with Matt Riddle tonight during the second episode of The Ultimate Fighter, Season 7 to discuss his past, training with a Gracie Black Belt, and his move from junior high school wrestling to Division 1 wrestling.
Loading ...
