While Ian
Garry might have been a target of ridicule leading up to
UFC 296, the Irishman believes most of the online hate he
received wasn’t real.
Garry has attracted a lot of attention recently for everything
ranging from his relationship with his wife to his questionable gym
etiquette. As a result, Garry was one of the most eagerly-awaited
fighters at UFC 296 media day ahead of his proposed clash with
Vicente
Luque. However, “The Future” failed to show up to the session
and was pulled from the bout a day after due to pneumonia. While
Garry inevitably faced a lot of online hate, he believes most of it
was fake. The former Cage Warriors champion thanked his true fans
in a post on
Instagram.
“Fight week didn’t go as planned,” Garry wrote. “Influenza
developed into pneumonia as I dropped weight and for the first time
in my career I was pulled by the UFC doctor. Flying home I met so
many fans who flew out specifically to see me. F—k. This is not how
I wanted to meet you. I wanted to put on a show more than anything.
Thank you for all your kind words, wonderful messages and to
everyone who was there for me. You might read hateful comments
online but I’ve discovered they aren’t real. In real life you book
flights, hotels, you drive miles, and you show up, in Vegas. I
appreciate the hell out everyone and I promise I’ll make it up to
you all in February.”
The undefeated welterweight prospect was subsequently booked
against Geoff Neal
for
UFC 298 on Feb. 17 in Anaheim, California. While the two were
originally scheduled to meet at UFC 292 in August, Neal was
replaced by Neil Magny,
who Garry went on to beat via unanimous decision.