- Gregor Gillespie insists he is still in contract with the UFC
- “The Gift” has been inactive and waiting for a huge fight
Gregor Gillespie generated quite a buzz lately after reports circulated online that he had been cut by the UFC. Just hours after learning about the news, “The Gift” issued a lengthy statement on social media, addressing his true status in the promotion.
Fake news alert!
According to Gillespie, the UFC has not released him from its official roster and if there was anything that happened lately, it was that he had been removed from the rankings due to inactivity. (However, the UFC’s official rankings state that he is still ranked as the NO. 8 lightweight in the world.)
“Guys I’m STILL in the UFC relax. I’ll explain,” Gillespie wrote on Instagram.
“1) I’m removed from the RANKINGS. Not from the organization. (Fighters are removed from rankings when inactive for a period of time which I’m gathering is 12 months.)
2) I’m not f*cking going ANYWHERE, rankings or not. 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. It is NOT their fault I have not had a fight. 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 on a mission to fight the top guys w the lowest number next to their name and get towards that belt, and fighting guys who are ranked behind me isn’t the way to do that, but I also understand sitting for a long period of time isn’t either.”
“Patiently waiting”
The 35-year-old went on to stress that all he ever did was to wait for a huge fight since the big names in the 155-pound division have been ducking him.
As per Gillespie, Tony Ferguson has already refused to fight him over and over again and guys like Michael Chandler and Rafael Dos Anjos are also not interested. He is now waiting to see if Beneil Dariush would be keen.
“I am, and have been patiently waiting for the right fight, one that is going to push me toward the belt,” he continued. “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 @beneildariush 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.
PS … RDA ,Chandler , offer always f*kin stands … RDA was cool with fighting me on 4 days notice when I was literally on a mountain 7 hours away from home when he needed a last second replacement, but when just offered fight w me since then where I would have a fight camp, he straight up said no.
***Long story short, removed from rankings, not from the UFC.”
As things stand, Gillespie is coming off a sensational TKO win over Diego Ferreira but it has been a year since he last stepped inside the octagon.
