Despite being on a four-fight winning streak, Matt Riddle is now in the unemployment line.
Riddle confirmed Tuesday to MMAjunkie.com that he had tested positive for marijuana, and subsequently released from the UFC. It was Riddle’s second marijuana violation, the first coming after his submission victory over Chris Clements at UFC 149.
The UFC had seemed to set a precedent for marijuana test failures in its last two cases, sending both Dave Herman and Thiago Silva to a rehab facility after their positive tests. There is no word as of yet why Riddle, who is licensed to use medical marijuana in his home state of Nevada, was not granted that same option and allowed to keep his spot on the roster.
The inconsistency in the UFC’s drug policy doesn’t stop there. The UFC acted as its own athletic commission at UFC on Fuel 7 in England, where Riddle scored a decision victory over Che Mills before testing positive. The UFC also acted as its own commission in Brazil, where it came out that Vitor Belfort was on TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) during his win over Michael Bisping. Despite White’s later assertion that he feels TRT is “cheating”, no reprimand has come Belfort’s way. Both men were prescribed their respective drugs by doctors, but UFC has apparently taken the stance that TRT is valid but medical marijuana is not.
The UFC has yet to comment on the situation.
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