A “maniac” doesn’t know what’s going on.
A top contender for the UFC Marcus McGhee scored a nasty first-round knockout of the Octagon rookie Anthony Romero at UFC 332 last weekend (Saturday, October 3, 2026) at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
On paper, McGhee’s path forward should be obvious.
He has compiled a stellar UFC record of 6-1, multiple appearances in the Bantamweight Top 15 and pushed by the current champion Peter Yan in the competitive co-main tournament last year at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Instead of that performance, however, McGhee has spent 2026 fighting unrated opponents with virtually no hype behind them.
And he doesn’t understand why.
“Bro, I can’t tell you what happened,” McGhee told MMAmania.com. “Literally, I’ve been trying to figure it out. When I ask about it, I don’t hear anything. “Oh, it just happens. It’s nothing against you,” yada yada yada.
“I’m who I am, I’m just going to keep grinding. I’m going to keep working,” McGhee continued. “But yeah, I’ve been sitting and then the names I get are way behind me.”
McGhee has repeatedly asked for opponents who could move him up the Bantamweight ladder. Instead, he said the promotion essentially gave him “take it or leave it” options against fighters below him.
“It’s like what are we talking about bro?” McGhee continued. “Like, I just don’t get it. I don’t know what happened to me or what made them do it twice in a row. Because yeah, basically they said take it or leave it. And again, I’m here to fight. So like again, at a certain point, you know, it’s my thing. I try to be smart and specific about how I don’t get hit, but I don’t like the fight. Who I should fight is relatively reasonable.
McGhee suspects her matchmaking problems may stem from a single offer she turned down shortly after her fight with Yan.
The UFC tapped “The Maniac” in October to face another tough opponent next month at Madison Square Garden. McGhee would have had about three weeks to prepare and make weight, despite fighting Yan less than two months earlier.
“I don’t understand because I was ready to fight after Yan,” McGhee said. “But I’m not going to start any stupid fights on short notice either. Don’t try to make me feel bad about it because that’s the only time they offered me a fight.”
“They hit me up in October to fight a tough guy at Madison Square Garden in November with three weeks’ notice,” McGhee continued. “My answer was no. You want me to cut weight so quickly after I’ve just finished fighting a champion, then go down and fight someone way below me on three weeks notice? It’s like you’re trying to fail me.”
McGhee stressed that turning down one unfavorable offer doesn’t mean he wants to sit out.
“My business is as important as your business,” McGhee said. “It’s a stupid business decision, and if you’re trying to scold me for making a business decision that doesn’t make sense? I tried to fight at the end of the year. I can’t stand getting offers on three weeks’ notice against guys I’m not trying to fight on three weeks’ notice.
“If I’m struggling with three weeks’ notice, it’s because I was already ready and my weight was already low,” he added. “Don’t hit me after I just got into a fight with Petr Yan a month and a half ago. It’s not an offer… What’s the value of it?”
McGhee ended up being sidelined for 11 months before being placed on reserve by the UFC Jakub Wikłacz. When Wikłacz withdrew, there was a replacement without a position John Yannis entered and McGhee defeated him by unanimous decision.
His next match followed a similar pattern.
McGhee had an exciting prospect to look forward to Bernardo Sopaj at UFC 332, but Sopaj withdrew during fight week. Romero accepted the fight on two days’ notice and was knocked out in the opening round.
After building a 6-1 lead, the 36-year-old believes he has earned a meaningful fight against someone such as Aiemann Zahabi, Marlon “Chito” Vera or David Martinez.
“I’ve made it clear that I deserve a ranked opponent,” McGhee said. “I’ve made it clear that I can fight, that I have the skill level to do it and that’s the direction I’m trying to go.”
“Whether they decide to start showing that respect or give me that opportunity, so be it,” McGhee continued. “We’re still going with the character that we’ve got. We’re going to take the next opponent they throw at us, do what we just did and keep pushing.”
McGhee, 36, doesn’t have an unlimited amount of time to wait for a UFC bantamweight bout to make sense.
However, as “Maniac” keeps knocking people out, it becomes increasingly difficult to ignore him.
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