When Matt Riddle was officially released from WWE in September alongside almost a dozen other performers like Dolph Ziggler, Mustafa Ali, and the Maximum Male Models, it felt like only a matter of time before fans would see the former Superstar back in a wrestling ring.

On paper, it made sense, right? Riddle has been solely focusing on professional wrestling for the last decade, and now, free to do as he pleases, a slew of interesting options have suddenly opened up for the 37-year-old Superstar, from signing with a big company like AEW, to running through the indies around the world, or even re-starting Matt Riddle's Bloodsport, the precursor to Josh Barnett's Bloodsport that has become a fixture of the GCW event calendar. But what if I were to tell you that Riddle might be interested in another opportunity within the squared circle, turning back the clock in order to do some mixed martial arts fighting?

Sidebar: Do you know who Matt Riddle fought at Bloodsport? That would be Minoru Suzuki. Crazy, right?

Sitting down for an interview with MMA Junkie, Riddle revealed that, while he's a clearly in-demand wrestler, he's open to fighting MMA once more, too, as he left the ring on a winning streak.

“There's been a lot of talk. I've been talking to a couple of promotions. I don't want to get into it until it's official, but I think in 2024 there's a very big possibility that I get back in the ring or cage pretty soon,” Matt Riddle told MMA Junkie.

“Maybe this is a bad theory or bad idea, but I feel like you've got to get beat up to leave, you know? I feel like I left the UFC on a four-fight win streak, then won another fight in Titan FC. I just kind of left and went to pro wrestling. I did good [and am] still doing it. Pro wrestling is awesome, but I still want to get beat up. I want to have my exit. We'll see. Maybe somebody beats me up. Maybe I keep winning. Who knows?”

While it might not make a ton of sense for Riddle to jump from wrestling to the MMA ring, as he could not only diminish his perceived value as a shoot-style fighter but actually suffer an injury that limits his earning potential on the indies, the process of going from one sport to the other may prove harder than the Allentown, Pennsylvania native may expect, as it's hard to imagine the biggest MMA promotion in the world, UFC, will have any interest in his services moving forward.

Dana White has incredible disdain for the former WWE Superstar.

After becoming something of a breakout star in UFC for his stony-go-luck attitude and Spicoli-style demeanor, Matt Riddle was abruptly fired by Dana White in 2013 due to testing positive for marijuana.

Asked about the decision to move on from Riddle at the time, White absolutely buried the “Original Bro” on his way out the door, hinting at why WWE eventually moved on from the work-shoot fighter when they joined the TKO banner.

“The reason he’s not in the UFC anymore is because he could not pass a drugs test,” Matt Riddle said via Ringside News.

“You’re so weak-minded and so addicted to marijuana that you couldn’t stay off it enough to pass a drugs test three times a year, well guess what, dummy? They drug test in the real world, too. You think you can’t pass one three times a year. I wanna know where this rocket scientist is gonna make six figures a year! This is the guy, Matt Riddle, who did an interview and said, ‘I smoke Marijuana, so I don’t beat my wife and children.'”

Now, to his credit, Riddle is seemingly much more open-minded about returning to UFC, as he noted to MMA Junkie that he wouldn't mind returning to UFC if the two sides can reach an agreement.

“I never say never. If the opportunity is right. I don’t really hold a grudge. I mean, I talk a lot of sh*t. Sorry, I talk a lot of trash. That’s about it. If there’s business to be had, I’ll get business done… For me, there’s no fence that really needs mending. (White) had his decision. I had mine. He went his way. I went my way. I had great success, and so has he. For me, there’s no problem. It’s just a matter of if he’d want me to work for him and pay me again. He doesn’t have to.”

Is there a world where Riddle gets fired from WWE only to return to TKO as a member of UFC? I mean, probably not, but hey, as Riddle himself said, in wrestling, like in MMA, you can never truly say never.