"I don't think when I beat him he was using PEDs" - WWE star Matt Riddle tells Daniel Cormier about competing against Jon Jones in high-school
During an appearance on Daniel Cormier's ESPN show, WWE superstar Matt Riddle discussed his wrestling match win over Jon Jones in their high-school days. Riddle believes the UFC Hall-of-Famer was "on the straight and narrow" back then– clean of any PED (Performance enhancing drug) usage allegations.
Despite having a promising start to his MMA career, Riddle left the sport following his UFC release after failing two drug tests due to marijuana intake. He fought once more outside of the promotion—submitting Michael Kuiper via guillotine choke in Titan FC—before making the switch to pro wrestling.
During a recent episode of the DC & RC show, Daniel Cormier questioned whether Jon Jones was clean during his wrestling match with Matt Riddle, prompting the former WWE United States Champion to say:
"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."
Jon Jones is known for his ability to hang with the best wrestlers and has shown this on multiple occasions throughout his UFC career. Despite often using his unorthodox striking in fights, the longest reigning UFC light heavyweight champion managed to successfully take down former Olympian Daniel Cormier.
Check out what Matt Riddle had to say about his wrestling days agaithet Jones in the video below:
Jon Jones' wrestling accolades
Dating back to the 2000s, Jones has been a notable name in the American wrestling world.
His first big win came in 2004 when the now-35-year-old was crowned the Northeast Junior Greco-Roman Regional Champion. Throughout the years, the UFC legend was crowned the NHSCA Senior All-American, a NYSPHSAA Division I State Champion, an NJCAA All-American, and National Champion at 197lbs.
Alongside his achievements, Jon Jones is an undefeated submission grappler with a 5-0 record. His most recent win in the combat sport came against MMA veteran Dan Henderson during Chael Sonnen's Submission Underground 2.