Gregor Gillespie was offered a fight against Tony Ferguson but it seems “El Cucuy” is content to stay home and play Twitter tag with Michael Chandler.
UFC lightweight veteran Gregor Gillespie is 7-1 inside the Octagon with six nasty finishes, having recently stopped Brazilian bruiser Diego Ferreira at UFC Vegas 26 last May. The victory was good enough to land “The Gift” at No. 10 in the official 155-pound rankings.
Three spots below former interim champion Tony Ferguson.
That’s probably why the promotion has been trying to pair them off, and it sounds like the 34 year-old Gillespie is on board. Unfortunately for the collegiate wrestling standout, Ferguson was “not super interested” in the potential pairing, despite his recent decline.
It seems “El Cucuy” is too busy chasing Michael Chandler on Twitter.
“I got a text from my manager and it was saying, ‘Tony Ferguson,’ and then in all caps, ‘WILL NOT FIGHT YOU,’” Gillespie (14-1) told MMA Fighting. “I was super frustrated he had been having a Twitter and Instagram back-and-forth with Michael Chandler, and then I got that message from my manager. I fought in May, May 8. Ferguson fought May 15. It was literally the weekend after, and we’ve both been just hanging out since then. The only two guys that are available to fight that are both in the top 10 are just going to sit there while the rest of the division just cycles through again? I just don’t get it. It’s super frustrating.”
Ferguson, who turns 38 in just a few weeks, was considered one of the top lightweights in the world just a couple of years back. But “El Cucuy” (25-6) is now the loser of three straight and looked completely outclassed in all three of his recent losses.
Not exactly a position of strength when it comes to the bargaining table.
“I’m a top-10 guy,” Gillespie continued. “It’s not like I’m some guy, some random guy. I’m 14-1 with 12 finishes. My last performance, I beat [Diego] Ferreira, who after [Beneil] Dariush beat him, he gets a shot with Ferguson and now he’s fighting what you would assume to be a title eliminator against Islam [Makhachev]. And here I am just hanging out, knowing that he has been offered the fight with me. I’ve accepted. I’ve called him out, which I don’t do, on more than one occasion, and then I see him fucking doing Twitter and Instagram posts calling Michael Chandler out. I’m like, dude, are you kidding me?”
As of this writing, both Gillespie and Ferguson remain unbooked.