With the upcoming UFC fight on Sunday, Matt Riddle has new motivation to fight inside the octagon with DaMarques Johnson, his newly born twin girls. Although he is not quite sure that it will help him in his fight against Johnson, he hopes for the best but is not counting on it to get him all the way through.
If Riddle wins the upcoming fight which is set to be in San Diego Sports Arena, he plans on using the money he makes from the fight to take his new family on vacation to Pennsylvania where his parents live. A confident Riddle says, “I’m coming in August 1st, and I’m smashing DaMarques, and I’m getting money, and I’m getting a bonus.” His bold prediction of the upcoming game was first heard on MMAjunkie radio.
The Pennsylvania native fighter is anxious to win this fight legitimately, as his last victory was questionable, using an illegal upkick on opponent Greg Soto, rendering him unable to continue the fight at UFC 111. Riddle commented on his upcoming fight with Johnson, saying only that he is a good opponent to face and it should help him to get back on track. Riddle has an overall MMA record of 4-1 and Johnson 14-7.
Riddle commented further on his upcoming fight, saying “I think he’s more dangerous off his back because people get him there and really sleep on him”. Appearing to know the risks of his fight with Johnson, Riddle also says, “I think that’s the one place I’ve really got to be careful.”
The fighter said on Twitter that whether it was his new fatherly regimen or just pure excitement for the upcoming bout, he had been gaining a little bit too much weight and was forced to change course with his training. He commented about the change in weight, saying “I normally don’t step on the scale until four weeks before a fight because usually my weight’s not a problem”. Riddle also said, “This time, I stepped on the scale a little early, and I’m glad because I was between 205 and 210 pounds, and I was having a hard time getting it off.”
After making some changes to his training routine which helped him to cut a significant amount of weight in just a few weeks, he is back with a vengeance and ready to start striking again. He commented about his new weight, “Now I’m walking around at 185 or 180, so I feel great”. “My body was just retaining a lot of water. I just had to sweat a lot of it out and get used to it.”
Riddle also gave himself a new nickname for the upcoming fight, “Monster Mash”. Although he was hoping for a remix of the song, he will have to settle for his originally planned entrance music of “Thriller” by Michael Jackson.
He says that having friends such as Brandon Sene in his corner at the fight will help immensely, saying “I fee like I need to keep my friends in my corner because I fight a lot better happy”. Although a lot of UFC fighters tend to think about their families when they are in the ring, Riddle isn’t quite so sure, saying that he plays it by ear and whatever happens just happens. As of right now, thoughts of a vacation are what he has on his mind and it’s what is motivating him to win the fight. Riddle’s final words on the right were, “We’re going to have to find out when I fight. I’m already very determined. I hope it does give me an extra push and I fight harder.”
Both light heavyweight champions Lyoto Machida and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson have officially agreed to meet for a fight, which according to certain reports by MMAjunki.com in November, is supposed to be at UFC 123. Machida has an overall MMA record of 16-1 and Jackson has a current record of 30-8, numbers which are expected to change with the upcoming fight.
