Business Combinations and Divestitures (Notes)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017
Business Combinations [Abstract]
BUSINESS COMBINATIONS AND DIVESTITURES	Joint Venture On February 17, 2017, the Company contributed substantially all of its midstream assets located in the Rustler Breaks (Eddy County, New Mexico) and Wolf (Loving County, Texas) asset areas in the Delaware Basin to San Mateo, a joint venture with a subsidiary of Five Point Capital Partners LLC (“Five Point”). The midstream assets contributed to San Mateo include (i) the Black River cryogenic natural gas processing plant in the Rustler Breaks asset area (the “Black River Processing Plant”); (ii) one salt water disposal well and a related commercial salt water disposal facility in the Rustler Breaks asset area; (iii) three salt water disposal wells and related commercial salt water disposal facilities in the Wolf asset area; and (iv) substantially all related oil, natural gas and water gathering systems and pipelines in both the Rustler Breaks and Wolf asset areas (collectively, the “Delaware Midstream Assets”). The Company continues to operate the Delaware Midstream Assets and San Mateo’s other assets. The Company retained its ownership in certain midstream assets owned in South Texas and Northwest Louisiana, which are not part of San Mateo. The Company and Five Point own 51% and 49% of San Mateo, respectively. Five Point provided initial cash consideration of $176.4 million to San Mateo in exchange for its 49% interest. Approximately $171.5 million of this cash contribution by Five Point was distributed by San Mateo to the Company as a special distribution. Through January 31, 2018, the Company had earned an additional $14.7 million in performance incentives to be paid by Five Point in the first quarter of 2018 and may earn an additional $58.8 million in performance incentives over the next four years. The Company contributed the Delaware Midstream Assets and $5.1 million in cash to San Mateo in exchange for its 51% interest. San Mateo is consolidated in the Company’s financial statements with Five Point’s interest in San Mateo being accounted for as a non-controlling interest. The Company dedicated its current and future leasehold interests in the Rustler Breaks and Wolf asset areas to San Mateo pursuant to 15-year, fixed-fee natural gas, oil and salt water gathering agreements and salt water disposal agreements, effective as of February 1, 2017. In addition, the Company dedicated its current and future leasehold interests in the Rustler Breaks asset area to San Mateo pursuant to a 15-year, fixed fee natural gas processing agreement (see Note 13). Business Combinations On February 27, 2015, the Company completed a business combination with Harvey E. Yates Company (“HEYCO”), a subsidiary of HEYCO Energy Group, Inc., through a merger of HEYCO with and into a wholly-owned subsidiary of Matador (the “HEYCO Merger”). In the HEYCO Merger, the Company obtained certain oil and natural gas producing properties and undeveloped acreage located in Lea and Eddy Counties, New Mexico, consisting of approximately 58,600 gross (18,200 net) acres strategically located between the Company’s existing acreage in its Ranger and Rustler Breaks asset areas. HEYCO, headquartered in Roswell, New Mexico, was privately-owned prior to the transaction. As consideration for the business combination, Matador paid approximately $33.6 million in cash and assumed debt obligations and issued 3,300,000 shares of Matador common stock and 150,000 shares of a new series of Matador Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (“Series A Preferred Stock”) to HEYCO Energy Group, Inc. (convertible into ten shares of common stock for each one share of Series A Preferred Stock upon the effectiveness of an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Formation to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock; the Series A Preferred Stock converted to common stock on April 6, 2015). Divestitures On October 1, 2015, the Company completed the sale of its wholly-owned subsidiary that owned certain natural gas gathering and processing assets in the Delaware Basin in Loving County, Texas (the “Loving County Processing System”) to an affiliate of EnLink Midstream Partners, LP (“EnLink”). The Loving County Processing System included a cryogenic natural gas processing plant with approximately 35 MMcf per day of inlet capacity (the “Wolf Processing Plant”) and approximately six miles of high-pressure gathering pipeline which connects the Company’s gathering system to the Wolf Processing Plant. Pursuant to the terms of the transaction, EnLink paid approximately $143.4 million, and the Company received net proceeds of approximately $139.8 million after deducting customary purchase price adjustments of approximately $3.6 million. In conjunction with the sale of the Loving County Processing System, the Company dedicated a significant portion of its leasehold interests in Loving County as of the closing date pursuant to a 15-year fixed-fee natural gas gathering and processing agreement and provided a volume commitment in exchange for priority one service. See Note 13 for more information related to this agreement. Due to the terms of the agreement, the transaction was accounted for as a sale and leaseback transaction; the carrying value of the net assets sold of approximately $31.0 million was removed from the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015 and the resulting difference of approximately $108.4 million between the net proceeds received less closing costs of $0.4 million and the basis of the assets sold was recorded as deferred gain on plant sale and was to be recognized as a gain on asset sales over the 15-year term of the gathering and processing agreement. During the fourth quarter of 2016, EnLink completed construction of another processing plant in Loving County, Texas. Upon completion and successful testing of this new plant, as allowed under the gathering and processing agreement, EnLink began processing the Company’s natural gas produced in this area at the new plant. As such, the gathering and processing agreement the Company entered into with EnLink was no longer considered a lease, and accordingly, the Company recognized the unamortized gain on the sale of $107.3 million in the consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2016. The Company can, at its option and upon mutual agreement with EnLink, dedicate any future leasehold acquisitions in Loving County to EnLink. In addition, the Company retained its natural gas gathering system up to a central delivery point and its other midstream assets in the area, including oil and water gathering systems and salt water disposal wells. On February 17, 2017, these assets were contributed to San Mateo.

Joint Venture

On February 17, 2017, the Company contributed substantially all of its midstream assets located in the Rustler Breaks (Eddy County, New Mexico) and Wolf (Loving County, Texas) asset areas in the Delaware Basin to San Mateo, a joint venture with a subsidiary of Five Point Capital Partners LLC (“Five Point”). The midstream assets contributed to San Mateo include (i) the Black River cryogenic natural gas processing plant in the Rustler Breaks asset area (the “Black River Processing Plant”); (ii) one salt water disposal well and a related commercial salt water disposal facility in the Rustler Breaks asset area; (iii) three salt water disposal wells and related commercial salt water disposal facilities in the Wolf asset area; and (iv) substantially all related oil, natural gas and water gathering systems and pipelines in both the Rustler Breaks and Wolf asset areas (collectively, the “Delaware Midstream Assets”). The Company continues to operate the Delaware Midstream Assets and San Mateo’s other assets. The Company retained its ownership in certain midstream assets owned in South Texas and Northwest Louisiana, which are not part of San Mateo.

The Company and Five Point own 51% and 49% of San Mateo, respectively. Five Point provided initial cash consideration of $176.4 million to San Mateo in exchange for its 49% interest. Approximately $171.5 million of this cash contribution by Five Point was distributed by San Mateo to the Company as a special distribution. Through January 31, 2018, the Company had earned an additional $14.7 million in performance incentives to be paid by Five Point in the first quarter of 2018 and may earn an additional $58.8 million in performance incentives over the next four years. The Company contributed the Delaware Midstream Assets and $5.1 million in cash to San Mateo in exchange for its 51% interest. San Mateo is consolidated in the Company’s financial statements with Five Point’s interest in San Mateo being accounted for as a non-controlling interest.

The Company dedicated its current and future leasehold interests in the Rustler Breaks and Wolf asset areas to San Mateo pursuant to 15-year, fixed-fee natural gas, oil and salt water gathering agreements and salt water disposal agreements, effective as of February 1, 2017. In addition, the Company dedicated its current and future leasehold interests in the Rustler Breaks asset area to San Mateo pursuant to a 15-year, fixed fee natural gas processing agreement (see Note 13).

Business Combinations

On February 27, 2015, the Company completed a business combination with Harvey E. Yates Company (“HEYCO”), a subsidiary of HEYCO Energy Group, Inc., through a merger of HEYCO with and into a wholly-owned subsidiary of Matador (the “HEYCO Merger”). In the HEYCO Merger, the Company obtained certain oil and natural gas producing properties and undeveloped acreage located in Lea and Eddy Counties, New Mexico, consisting of approximately 58,600 gross (18,200 net) acres strategically located between the Company’s existing acreage in its Ranger and Rustler Breaks asset areas. HEYCO, headquartered in Roswell, New Mexico, was privately-owned prior to the transaction.

As consideration for the business combination, Matador paid approximately $33.6 million in cash and assumed debt obligations and issued 3,300,000 shares of Matador common stock and 150,000 shares of a new series of Matador Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (“Series A Preferred Stock”) to HEYCO Energy Group, Inc. (convertible into ten shares of common stock for each one share of Series A Preferred Stock upon the effectiveness of an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Formation to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock; the Series A Preferred Stock converted to common stock on April 6, 2015).

Divestitures

On October 1, 2015, the Company completed the sale of its wholly-owned subsidiary that owned certain natural gas gathering and processing assets in the Delaware Basin in Loving County, Texas (the “Loving County Processing System”) to an affiliate of EnLink Midstream Partners, LP (“EnLink”). The Loving County Processing System included a cryogenic natural gas processing plant with approximately 35 MMcf per day of inlet capacity (the “Wolf Processing Plant”) and approximately six miles of high-pressure gathering pipeline which connects the Company’s gathering system to the Wolf Processing Plant.

Pursuant to the terms of the transaction, EnLink paid approximately $143.4 million, and the Company received net proceeds of approximately $139.8 million after deducting customary purchase price adjustments of approximately $3.6 million. In conjunction with the sale of the Loving County Processing System, the Company dedicated a significant portion of its leasehold interests in Loving County as of the closing date pursuant to a 15-year fixed-fee natural gas gathering and processing agreement and provided a volume commitment in exchange for priority one service. See Note 13 for more information related to this agreement.

Due to the terms of the agreement, the transaction was accounted for as a sale and leaseback transaction; the carrying value of the net assets sold of approximately $31.0 million was removed from the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015 and the resulting difference of approximately $108.4 million between the net proceeds received less closing costs of $0.4 million and the basis of the assets sold was recorded as deferred gain on plant sale and was to be recognized as a gain on asset sales over the 15-year term of the gathering and processing agreement.

During the fourth quarter of 2016, EnLink completed construction of another processing plant in Loving County, Texas. Upon completion and successful testing of this new plant, as allowed under the gathering and processing agreement, EnLink began processing the Company’s natural gas produced in this area at the new plant. As such, the gathering and processing agreement the Company entered into with EnLink was no longer considered a lease, and accordingly, the Company recognized the unamortized gain on the sale of $107.3 million in the consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2016.

The Company can, at its option and upon mutual agreement with EnLink, dedicate any future leasehold acquisitions in Loving County to EnLink. In addition, the Company retained its natural gas gathering system up to a central delivery point and its other midstream assets in the area, including oil and water gathering systems and salt water disposal wells. On February 17, 2017, these assets were contributed to San Mateo.