After missing out on seeing Ian Garry at the UFC 296 pre-fight presser, fans have now been robbed altogether of his clash against Vicente Luque.
Garry (13-0) was originally scheduled to trade leather with former Kill Cliff FC teammate Luque (22-9) at UFC 296 on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “The Future” has now pulled out of the matchup due to pneumonia and flu, which was confirmed by Dana White after Chael Sonnen initially broke the news. White said on Instagram:
“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.”
That illness was also the reason for Garry’s absence from Wednesday’s pre-fight media scrum, which was highly anticipated by fans due to the recent drama surrounding the Irishman. Garry is engaged in an online feud with Sean Strickland over comments made by the middleweight champ about the Irishman’s relationship with his wife. The undefeated prospect was also booted from Leon Edwards’ Team Renegade which is reportedly not the only gym in the UK where he’s banned. Garry’s gym etiquette, particularly carrying a camera around everywhere, has also been called out by fighters in the US like Sean Brady and Brendan Allen.
Garry subsequently said that he feared for his family’s safety in the States and has since been absent from all media obligations like "UFC Embedded" episodes and media day appearances. With rumors afloat that Garry might even avoid the pre-fight presser, Luque was asked about the entire drama surrounding his scheduled opponent. While Luque admittedly felt disrespected by Garry in the lead-up, “The Silent Assassin” was one of the few to defend “The Future” making such a decision if it was for his family’s safety.
Luque is also off the card with no time to find a replacement, as per ESPN.
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