If there wasn’t already enough plot twists in the saga of Frankie Edgar and Max Holloway’s fight which has been rescheduled twice now, Conor McGregor just dropped a bombshell on everything. While a long list of opponents was being gone through to find a replacement for UFC featherweight champion Holloway, evidently McGregor threw his name in the hat to fight Edgar at UFC 222. In an unexpected turn of events, it was actually the UFC that turned it down due to the lack of money and time to make it the fight they wanted it to be.

“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™.” – Conor McGregor via his official Instagram.

Was he really going to go down to featherweight one last time to put he final nail in the coffin? Would it have been contested at lightweight or a catchweight? These are all just questions now added to the lingering suspense of when McGregor will actually make his return. We’re all anticipating him being in attendance at UFC 223, especially after Dana White’s recent yet still vague clarifications of him being stripped of his second belt.

Speaking of second belts, the trademark symbol following ‘Champ Champ’ in McGregor’s recent message wasn’t just an attempt at being clever. The phrase is one of many that Conor McGregor is actively filing for trademarks on in order to be apart of his brand umbrella. This move was blocked by Champion sportswear company, but maybe McGregor has made progress in owning the words.

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 2/22/2018.