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.
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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.