Gregor Gillespie is still very much part of the UFC roster, but he’s no longer eligible for the promotion’s rankings with his last fight coming more than 12 months ago.
The confusion over his status came on Sunday after the automated UFC Roster Watch account on Twitter noted that Gillespie had been removed, which led many to believe he had somehow been released. Gillespie then sent out a message of his own to clarify any confusion while also explaining why he hasn’t fought since a win over Diego Ferreira back in May 2021.
“I am removed from the rankings, not from the organization,” Gillespie wrote on social media. “Fighters are removed after 12 months of inactivity. I’m not f****** 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 percent 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.
Gillespie had previously vented his frustrations after he claimed that Tony Ferguson had turned down a fight with him and he was still pursuing that potential matchup.
Now as he passes the one-year mark since his last outing, Gillespie is still seeking any opponent ranked ahead of him to accept his challenge, although it doesn’t appear there have been any takers.
Gillespie currently sports a 14-1 record in the UFC with his only loss coming in a knockout to Kevin Lee back in 2019. He bounced back from that defeat to get the win over Ferreira in a Fight of the Night effort.
Unfortunately, Gillespie says he hasn’t been able to find an opponent that would move him any closer to his ultimate goal to compete for UFC gold, which is why he had a new name to mention after he was removed from the rankings.
“I am, and have been patiently waiting for the right fight, one that is going to push me toward the belt,” Gillespie wrote. “Since Ferguson turned it down like 100 f****** times in the last year, since Mikey Chandler didn’t seem too interested in fighting me when I brought it up, and since [Rafael dos Anjos] just turned down the fight against me, which I accepted by the way, I guess Beneil Dariush will have to do. I know you’re banged up and recovering big dawg, so just give me an eight week heads up and let’s do the thing.”
Dariush is currently riding a seven-fight win streak in the division including a lopsided win over Ferguson in his last outing and he was previously attached to a potential No. 1 contender’s bout with Islam Makhachev before a leg injury prevented him from competing.
During a recent appearance on The Fighter vs. The Writer, Dariush revealed he was targeting a late summer return to action with plans to rebook the fight against Makhachev, which was exactly what the UFC had initially intended as well.
It remains to be seen if that fight will be booked but Gillespie seems anxious to get Dariush or anybody else ahead of him in the rankings so he can get back to work.
He also took a parting shot at dos Anjos, who is currently preparing for a fight against Rafael Fiziev at the upcoming UFC Fight Night card scheduled on July 9.
“RDA, Chandler — offer always f****** stands,” Gillespie wrote. “RDA was cool with fighting me on four days’ notice when I was literally on a mountain seven hours away from home when he needed a last second replacement, but when [he was] just offered fight with me since then where I would have a fight camp, he straight up said no.”