Conor McGregor vows to fight again, claims he offered to face Frankie Edgar at UFC 222

Conor McGregor may not have an official date to end his 15-month absence from the Octagon, but the UFC lightweight champion appears to be getting close.

McGregor (21-3) revealed during a lengthy post on his Instagram account Thursday that he offered his name as a last-minute opponent for Frankie Edgar on March 3 after featherweight champion Max Holloway pulled out of UFC 222 with an injury.

The 29-year-old Irish star also appeared to put to rest rumors he may never fight again after collecting a reported $100 million from his pro boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather last August, which resulted in a 10th-round TKO loss.

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

McGregor, who hasn't fought since stopping Eddie Alvarez for the 155-pound title at UFC 205 in 2016, also appears to be on the verge of finally having his title stripped, UFC president Dana White told TMZ Sports earlier in the day.

Attempting to save a UFC card on short notice isn't anything new for McGregor who, in part, built his name on a willingness to fight anyone on short notice regardless of weight. That reputation, of course, has certainly changed the more he accomplished. McGregor, who became the first UFC fighter to hold championships in two weight divisions simultaneously, has still never defended either belt.

Edgar (22-5-1), a former lightweight champion, appeared to be next in line for the 145-pound title McGregor held in 2016 but lost out when "The Notorious" fell into a lucrative two-fight feud with Nate Diaz. Edgar eventually lost an interim featherweight title bout against Jose Aldo at UFC 200.

Along with losing a title shot on March 3, Edgar was forced to pull out the first time a shot at Holloway's belt in December with a last-minute injury. Two weeks ago, Edgar agreed to face unbeaten Brian Ortega in the co-main event at UFC 222, with the winner expected to face Holloway.

Despite McGregor's claim that he offered to fight Edgar but was "told there wasn't enough time to generate the money that the UFC would need," Edgar's manager Ali Abdelaziz disputed those claims to ESPN's Brett Okamoto.

On McGregor's claim he offered to fight Frankie Edgar at UFC 222, Edgar's manager @AliAbdelaziz00 tells me, "He's full a s---. He's a liar. He should have fought Frankie two years ago."
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) February 22, 2018

With McGregor idle, White booked a lightweight championship bout for April 7 at UFC 223 between interim champion Tony Ferguson and unbeaten Khabib Nurmagomedov. In a bizarre twist, White also refused to confirm whether McGregor was being stripped of his belt when Ferguson-Nurmagomedov was announced in January despite admitting it would be for the undisputed title.

White, who also told TMZ Sports on Thursday that he and Floyd Mayweather were now in "active negotiations," shared that McGregor is compliant with the likeliness that he loses his belt unless presumably agreeing to face the winner.

"Is he upset? No, Conor understands," White said. "Conor made a lot of money, he wants some time off, but the division has to go on and the business has to go on."

"[McGregor's expected return] was August and now it's September. I say it all the time, when you get that kind of money .. Conor might never come back. It's a lot of money."