• Matt Riddle Reveals His UFC Salary
On TMZ’s Inside The Ring podcast, Matt Riddle revisited his UFC firing, explaining that he was released for testing positive for marijuana – something he still views as unfair.
He said he was making $25,000 per fight at the time and was cut even though many other fighters have faced worse controversies and stayed.
Riddle noted that Dana White still ignores him whenever they cross paths, including at the MMA Awards, suggesting that White still holds a grudge.
He contrasted his treatment with White’s own public controversies, calling the hypocrisy “crazy.”
While Riddle doesn’t regret how his UFC run ended, he said it pushed him to thrive elsewhere – in pro wrestling.
• Dolph Ziggler Reveals How He Played A Role In Getting Himself Fired From WWE
WWE was officially acquired by TKO in 2023. Shortly after the sale, the company released several wrestlers, including long-time employee Dolph Ziggler (now known outside WWE as Nic Nemeth), who had been with the company for nearly 20 years.
Speaking about his departure on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, the former World Heavyweight Champion revealed that he had emailed higher-ups, explaining that he was being paid like a main eventer while being used sparingly. That email became one of the factors in WWE’s decision to let him go.
“I wrote a really, really long email to Vince, Hunter, Bruce, Ed, and maybe one other person, and it was a compliment sandwich. ‘This is the greatest thing ever. I’m the luckiest guy in the world… you’re using me in a role that a local would be in, but you’re paying me as the WrestleMania main eventer. This is bad for you, and this is bad for me.’
Nobody wrote me back, except for Vince. And he said, ‘Wow, this is incredible. This is a lot to read. I’m not sure what to do.’ And I said, ‘Vince, I will fly to Stamford tomorrow morning and we will finish this.’ He goes, ‘Give me a week to think about it.’
I said, ‘I really want to figure this out right now.’ He goes, ‘Give me one week. It’s a lot to process.’ I said, ‘Okay,’ and the next week I was on the list of people who were released. So, it worked.”
