The X Factor: After a middling run on “The Ultimate Fighter,” Riddle has been a revelation in his first two UFC bouts and is looking like a future welterweight contender. The weight of expectations is the only variable we haven’t seen Riddle overcome, and with the whispers growing louder over his bright future, you have to wonder how a 23-year-old kid will handle going from afterthought to blue-chipper in such short order. Thus far, Riddle’s success has been built on flawless preparation and in-cage execution, but if he starts buying too much stock in his own talent, he could easily go from pleasant surprise to cautionary tale via Mr. Cramer’s fists.
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The Bottom Line: While prospects get fed to the genetically engineered super-lions of the UFC, Riddle is getting deluxe treatment and it will show as he treats Cramer like a showcase opponent. Expect Riddle to wear him down with suffocating top control and strikes before putting him away with a kimura late in the second round. Let’s just hope that Riddle doesn’t show up to the cage ever again looking like he stuck his finger in an electrical socket.