Gregor Gillespie Explains Inactivity, Only Wants Foes Ranked Above Him

Gregor Gillespie wants to make one thing perfectly clear: He is still very much a part of the UFC roster.

Rumors of Gillespie’s release began to circulate when Twitter account UFC Roster Watch announced that the lightweight had been removed from the UFC roster. Gillespie took to social media to clarify the situation shortly there after.

“I am removed from the RANKINGS.. Not from the organization,” Gillespie wrote on Twitter. “(Fighters are removed after 12 months of inactivity). I am NOT GOING ANYWHERE! The UFC has always been great to me! 100% class! It is not their fault that I don’t have a fight. They have offered me plenty of fights.”

Gillespie hasn’t competed since UFC on ESPN 24 in May 2021, when he defeated Diego Ferreira via second-round technical knockout. The 35-year-old Bellmore Kickboxing Academy representative explained that he has been on the sidelines because he isn’t interested in facing anyone ranked below him, and that has made finding bouts difficult.

“I have accepted all and any that were ranked ahead of me (outside of short notice), and conversely I have obviously turned down anyone ranked behind me,” he wrote.

“I am on a mission to fight the top guys with the lowest number next to their name to get close to the belt. Fighting guys ranked behind me isn’t the way to do it, but I also understand sitting for a while isn’t either.”

The former NCAA national champion wrestler at Edinboro University also stated that certain opponents, such as Rafael dos Anjos and Michael Chandler, simply haven’t been interested in fighting him.

“PS.. RDA, chandler, offer f—ing stands. RDA was cool fighting me on [four] days notice (when I was on the top of a mountain [seven] hours away), but turns me down on a full camp,” he wrote.

Gillespie is 14-1 as a professional and 7-1 in UFC competition but has yet to fight more than twice in a calendar year — and has notable only fought once in the past two and a half years.

I am removed from the RANKINGS.. Not from the organization. (Fighters are removed after 12 months of inactivity). I am NOT GOING ANYWHERE! The UFC has always been great to me! 100% class! It is not their fault that I don’t have a fight. They Have offered me plenty of fights

— gregor gillespie (@gregor_the_gift) May 15, 2022