Well, here’s a bummer. Fans were eagerly waiting to see Ian Garry at the UFC 296 pre-fight presser. But, no luck. And now, they’re completely out of luck. His clash against Vicente Luque? Cancelled.
Garry, with an impressive 13-0 record, was all set to go head-to-head with former Kill Cliff FC teammate Luque (22-9). The match was scheduled for UFC 296 on Saturday, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. But, alas! “The Future” has had to back out. Why, you ask? Pneumonia and flu.
Dana White confirmed the news after Chael Sonnen initially broke it. White took to Instagram to share the update. He said, “Alright guys, I know it’s out there, there is some speculation that Ian Garry and Luque is off. It is true. Ian Garry started with the flu that turned into pneumonia. So that fight is off and is not happening. It is true.”
This illness also explains Garry’s no-show at Wednesday’s pre-fight media scrum. Fans were really looking forward to it, especially with all the recent drama surrounding the Irishman. Garry is in an online spat with Sean Strickland over some comments the middleweight champ made about Garry’s relationship with his wife.
And there’s more. Garry was kicked out of Leon Edwards’ Team Renegade. And rumor has it, that’s not the only gym in the UK where he’s not welcome. Garry’s gym etiquette, or lack thereof, particularly his habit of carrying a camera everywhere, has been criticized by fighters in the US like Sean Brady and Brendan Allen.
Garry later expressed fear for his family’s safety in the States. He’s been MIA from all media obligations like “UFC Embedded” episodes and media day appearances. With rumors that Garry might even skip the pre-fight presser, Luque was asked about the drama surrounding his scheduled opponent. Luque, although feeling disrespected by Garry, was one of the few to defend “The Future” making such a decision if it was for his family’s safety.
Now, Luque is also off the card. There’s no time to find a replacement, as per ESPN.