There are very few men in the world who can say they defeated Jon Jones in a combat sport. A surprising name in that short list is former WWE star Matt Riddle. The American wrestler and former MMA fighter has defeated Jones not once but twice in their early careers.
Jones, who is just a year and a half younger than Riddle, attended Union-Endicott High School in New York. Riddle, on the other hand, attended Saratoga Springs High School in New York. Both men began their wrestling careers early during their high school years. They fought each other twice during those days and Riddle won both those bouts.
A picture of Riddle standing tall on the first spot on a podium with Jones standing on third has been shared extensively on social media. According to MMA Fighting, Riddle said, “I’ll say that Jon Jones, like him or not, he’s always been a top-tier competitor since I’ve known him since high school and throughout his UFC career and etc.”
Imagine explaining to the average person that the guy on the right beat the guy on the left TWICE 🤔 pic.twitter.com/S2HMMZMuKq
— MMA UNCENSORED (@MMAUNCENSORED1) December 25, 2023
According to reports, Jones had won a NJCAA wrestling national championship. Riddle, on the other hand, was a New York state wrestling champion in 2004. Both wrestlers transitioned to MMA. However, here their fortunes changed. Jones went on to create an unmatched legacy in MMA, meanwhile, Riddle’s MMA career was riddled with controversy.
Jon Jones and Matt Riddle have both consumed illegal substances during their MMA careers
Jones and Riddle began their MMA careers in 2008 and made it to the UFC early on. While Riddle had a tumultuous UFC career, Jones dominated. In 2012, however, Riddle’s downfall in the UFC began. After Riddle picked up a submission win against Chris Clements at UFC 149, the result was turned into a No Contest as Riddle tested positive for cannabis. A few months later, another of his wins was turned into an NC for the same reason.
Riddle’s MMA career saw just one more fight after his second NC. In 2014, he turned to pro wrestling. After four years in the independent circuit, Riddle was signed by the WWE. He fought in the WWE for five years from 2018 to 2023.
Jones’ UFC career also involved a few controversies. In 2015, he won the UFC Light Heavyweight championship but was stripped of the title after violating the UFC Athlete Conduct Policy. A year later, he won the interim title. However, he was stripped of that due to testing positive for illegal substances. After another year and another title win, Jones faced a similar fate for testing positive for more illegal substances.
After completing his suspension, however, Jones came back clean and won the title again. He moved up to Heavyweight and won the UFC Heavyweight title as well.