The highlight of the UFC 149 post-fight press conference last night was undoubtedly Matt Riddle’s unexpected rant about an incident that happened to him back at UFC 105 in Manchester, England.
The conversation started harmlessly enough with Riddle expressing how he’d like to fight the UK’s Dan Hardy next as he’s a big name opponent and beating him would “put me on the map.”
Riddle then stressed that he doesn’t hold any kind of a personal grudge against Hardy.
“I heard Riddle hates English people,” Dana White joked at that point.
The words were barely out of his mouth when Riddle suddenly burst forth with an unexpected tale of woe from his last visit to the UK.
“I will be completely honest. When I fought in Manchester, England they were very cruel to me and one fan actually spit directly in my face and he was lucky enough where it hit me in my mouth.”
“Wow! I was jut kidding,” White laughed, but that didn’t stop Riddle who was now in full flow.
“To be completely honest I don’t have anything against English people, but I really wouldn’t mind if something happens, I’ll go over to London, whatever, and I’ll put him down.
“It was my first international fight, one I’ll never forget” Riddle continued in a deadly serious tone as the assembled media, fighters and Dana White continued to laugh their asses off. “It was my first loss in the UFC, and ever since I’ve had that loss I’ve never let anything like that happen to me again. In all my other losses, they are usually ‘Fight Of The Night’ or a decision loss, and that’s the only time I’ve ever been finished in my career, and I’ll never let that happen again. I fight way to hard, I have too much pride.
“To be disrespected like that, that was the part that really upset me, you know?”
“I’m like his therapist man. Wow! Who knew?” added Dana.
Wait your turn though Dana, Riddle wasn’t finished yet.
“Everybody up here on this table is a world class athlete and we should be treated as a world class athlete, and for some butter-toothed Brit to spit in my mouth, that was some bull, and honestly, it’s never been the same…”
“Wow!” White exclaimed again. “We are definitely making the Dan Hardy fight!”
Check out this little gem unfold for yourselves in the video below.
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