Is Gregor Gillespie still with the UFC? According to the wrestling standout, he’s just on the sidelines waiting for the right fight.
Mixed martial arts fans were a bit concerned earlier today when news came out that Gregor Gillespie was removed from the voting rolls for UFC rankings. Gillespie hasn’t fought since a May of 2021 TKO win over Carlos Diego Ferreira, which put him at number eight in the lightweight rankings.
But now Gillespie is out of the rankings, and some were worried he might be out of the UFC as well. Not so, according to the man himself. Gregor took to social media to set the record straight.
“Guys I’m STILL in the UFC. Relax I’ll explain,” he wrote on Instagram. “I love the UFC and contrary to what the haters say about them, the UFC has ALWAYS been more than good to me. Pay is great, everything super organized, the follow up after from medical staff is unbelievable, 100% class act top of the food chain.”
Gillespie clarified that he was removed from the rankings due to inactivity and that inactivity was on account of him being unwilling to accept a lower-ranked opponent.
“It is NOT [the UFC’s] fault I have not had a fight,” Gillespie wrote. “They have offered me plenty of fights in the last year. I have accepted any and all of them against guys who were ranked ahead of me, (outside of the VERY short notice ones like 4-8 days) and conversely I have obviously turned down all of the ones of guys ranked behind me.”
“I am, and have been patiently waiting for the right fight, one that is going to push me toward the belt,” he wrote. “Since Ferguson turned it down like 100 f—kin times in the last yr, since Mikey Chandler didn’t seem too interested in fighting me when I brought it up, and since RDA just turned down the fight against me (WHICH I ACCEPTED BTW) I guess Beneil Dariush will have to do. I know you’re banged up and recovering big dawg, so just gimme a 8 week heads up and let’s do the thing.”
The UFC lightweight division is extremely competitive and everyone is currently jockeying to get as close to the title as possible. That leaves fighters like Gregor Gillespie stuck on the outside, unable to find anyone willing to fight down in the rankings. Of course, Gillespie is also unwilling to fight down, but he seems quite aware of the irony and is willing to sit out until things sort themselves out.
Sound off in the comments, Maniacs. Who do you think Gregor should fight next?