Another member of City Kickboxing is UFC bound.
Joining teammates Israel Adesanya, Dan Hooker, Kai Kara-France, Shane Young, and Luke Jumeau, Brad Riddell can now call himself a member of the UFC roster.
In a video posted on Facebook (via Engage), Kara-France surprised Riddell (6-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) with a UFC contract in front of the rest of the gym. Overwhelmed by emotion, Riddell embraced his teammates and coach Eugene Bareman.
While he has competed most recently at 170 pounds, Riddell told New Zealand Herald he will be moving down to lightweight for his debut at UFC 243.
Nicknamed “Quake,” Riddell has compiled five finishes by TKO/KO in his MMA career to date. The 27-year-old fighter is currently riding a three-fight win streak.
His last win came in July when he won an unanimous decision over Mikey Vaotuaa at Wollongong Wars 7 in New South Wales, Australia. Riddell holds a knockout win over UFC welterweight Kenan Song.
UFC 243 takes place Saturday, Oct. 5 at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The main card will stream on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN 2 and ESPN+.
The current UFC 243 lineup is as follows:
- Robert Whittaker vs. Israel Adesanya
- Al Iaquinta vs. Dan Hooker
- Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington
- Tai Tuivasa vs. Sergey Spivak
- Megan Anderson vs. Zarah Fairn Dos Santos
- Jake Matthews vs. Rostem Akman
- Nadia Kassem vs. Ji Yeon Kim
- Luke Jumeau vs. Dhiego Lima
- Khalid Taha vs. Bruno Silva
- Callan Potter vs. Maki Pitolo
- Yorgan De Castro vs. Justin Tafa
