Matt Riddle doesn't appreciate insult, fires back at ONE FC champ Ben Askren

Matt Riddle

Ben Askren wanted to insult UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, but in the process, he apparently ruffled the feathers of former UFC fighter Matt Riddle.

In the buildup to Saturday’s UFC 182 headliner between Jones and undefeated Olympian Daniel Cormier, the UFC’s marketing machine is in full drive. Some of the promotional videos feature Jones’ August appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

During the segment, Jones and Kimmel joked about Cormier finishing fourth at the 2004 Summer Olympics and surmised that instead of getting a medal, he simply got the ribbon that accompany them.

On Monday Askren posted the following (via Twitter) while defending his fellow Olympian:

That apparently didn’t sit well with Riddle, a longtime UFC fighter who’s now signed to Titan FC. He poked fun at Askren’s fighting style and lack of UFC experience (via Twitter):

Askren (14-0) hasn’t responded, but it presents an interesting possibility: Could Askren and Riddle (8-3) meet in the ONE FC cage?

While Askren, a former Bellator MMA champion who’s ranked No. 7 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings, has remained in the headlines thanks to the Asia-based ONE FC promotion (and his social-media skills), notable opponents have been in short supply.

Riddle, who’d be on a five-fight winning streak if not for a pair of failed drug tests (due to marijuana), isn’t ranked. But he’s a familiar name, at least in North America.

For now, though, it appears their fighting will be limited to Twitter.

For more on the UFC’s and ONE FC’s upcoming schedules, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.