Conor McGregor says he’s ‘fighting again,’ claims he offered to fight Frankie Edgar at UFC 222

The last time Conor McGregor entered the Octagon was back in November 2016; when he won the UFC lightweight title with a TKO victory over Eddie Alvarez. Last year he made history by losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in his lucrative pro boxing debut. Since then the only competitive fighting arena he’s entered was a Bellator cage (much to the chagrin of Marc Goddard).

The long absence from MMA, and specifically the UFC, has led to McGregor being stripped of his lightweight title (according to UFC president Dana White when talking to TMZ). However, it appears that the Irishman was looking to return to the UFC much sooner than anticipated.

Today the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion took to his personal Instagram account to reveal that he offered to fill in for Max Holloway at UFC 222, when the reigning 145 lb champion fell out of his announced match-up with Frankie Edgar.

“I put my name forward to step in at UFC 222 to face Frankie Edgar when Max Holloway pulled out, but I was told there wasn’t enough time to generate the money that the UFC would need,” wrote McGregor.

The UFC have instead announced that Brian Ortega will face Edgar on the card, which is currently headlined by women’s featherweight champ Cris Cyborg and Yana Kunitskaya.

The rest of McGregor’s statement reads as follows:

I am the best at this.

I put my name forward to step in at UFC 222 to face Frankie Edgar when Max Holloway pulled out, but I was told there wasn’t enough time to generate the money that the UFC would need.

I was excited about bouncing in last minute and taking out the final featherweight, without all the rest of the stuff that comes with this game. Please respect the insane amount of work outside the fight game that I have put in.

On top of the fighting.

I am here.

It is on them to come and get me. Because I am here.

Yours sincerely,

The Champ Champ™