"One the biggest waste of talent ever" - Fans react to Matt Riddle's double triumph in high school wrestling against Jon Jones

Jon Jones is regarded as one of the most accomplished UFC fighters ever. He boasts a professional MMA record of 27-1-0 (1NC), with his lone loss coming via disqualification after he threw illegal elbows at Matt Hamill.

However, Matt Riddle stands among the select few who can claim to have defeated the reigning UFC heavyweight champion, albeit in a different sport. The WWE star and Jones were previously rivals in high school, where they clashed on the wrestling mat twice. Riddle emerged victorious both times.

Well-known MMA page MMA UNCENSORED recently shared a post on X that highlighted Riddle's victories over 'Bones'. This elicited a number of reactions from fans, who flooded the post with comments.

Check out the post below:

One fan wrote:

"High school wrestling very different from an actual fight lmao"

Another wrote:

"Jones would choke him out in under 30 seconds in a real match."

Check out some more reactions below:

"Doesn’t matter he will never be what Jones is now"

"Lol I had to Google it. I had no idea. That's pretty cool"

"Matt Riddle could have been next big thing both in UFC and WWE if not for🌿💨"

"Matt is one the biggest waste of talent ever"

When Matt Riddle was asked about Jon Jones' PED usage

While many fans consider Jon Jones to be the greatest MMA fighter in history, his series of failed drug tests has attracted considerable criticism and tarnished his legacy. Despite Jones' track record, Matt Riddle once took a more sympathetic stance toward his high school rival.

During an episode of DC & RC in 2022, Daniel Cormier asked Riddle whether Jones had cheated in their high school wrestling bouts. Riddle replied:

"You know, like him or not, he's always been a top-tier competitor since I've known him in high school... I don't think when I beat him he was cheating. Yeah, I don't think he used any PEDs or was on any stimulants or anything like that. He was young, I remember his family was always there and it was a very family-oriented environment... I think he was still on the straight and narrow then, bro."

Check out Matt Riddle's comments on Jon Jones below: