Conor McGregor claims he offered to save UFC 222, fight Frankie Edgar; manager denies it

Women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg stepped in to save UFC 222 after featherweight champ Max Holloway withdrew from the pay-per-view event.

But lightweight champion Conor McGregor claims he tried to do the same.

In an Instagram post, McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) today said he volunteered to face ex-champ Frankie Edgar (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC), only to be rebuffed when “there wasn’t enough time to generate the money that the UFC would need.”

Via Instagram:

I am fighting again. Period. 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™

A post shared by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma) on Feb 22, 2018 at 11:58am PST

“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,” McGregor added. “Please respect the insane amount of work outside the fight game that I have put in.”

Reached for comment, Edgar’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, tweeted an expletive at McGregor and denied the champ’s claim. Holloway’s rep didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, and MMAjunkie was unable to immediately reach the UFC.

UFC 222 currently is headlined by a fight between Cyborg (19-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) and UFC newcomer Yana Kunitskaya (10-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC), the Invicta FC women’s bantamweight champion. In the co-headliner, Edgar takes on Brian Ortega (13-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) in a bout with title implications.

The event takes place March 3 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and airs live on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

McGregor currently is in negotiations with the UFC on a new contract. He is demanding an ownership stake in the promotion, which has indicated it will strip him of the lightweight title in advance of a title fight between Tony Ferguson (23-3 MMA, 13-1 UFC) and Khabib Nurmagomedov (25-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) at UFC 223 in April.

After his alleged snub, McGregor, the promotion’s top box office draw, indicated he’s no longer as willing to volunteer when he’s needed.

“It is on them to come and get me,” he said. “Because I am here.”

For more on UFC 222, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.