Undefeated welterweight contender, Ian Garry is officially out of his scheduled main card clash with Brazilian-American, Vicente Luque at UFC 296 this weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the Portmarnock striker reportedly battling with pneumonia and flu like symptoms ahead of the event.
Garry, the current number ten ranked welterweight contender, was scheduled to make his fourth Octagon walk of the year at this weekend’s pay-per-view event in ‘Sin City’ – taking on Kill Cliff FC training partner, Luque in a high-stakes matchup at 170 pounds.
Skirting media day obligations last night at the UFC Apex facility, Garry was expected to attend tonight’s press conference ahead of the slated UFC 296 card on Saturday.
Ian Garry forced from UFC 296 return this weekend
However, UFC CEO, Dana White has now confirmed that Garry will not be featuring against Luque at UFC 296 this weekend, with the 25-year-old battling with pneumonia ahead of the bout, with Luque removed from the card entirely with a replacement fighter unavailable on such short-notice.
“Alright, guys, I know it’s out there – there’s some speculation that Ian Garry and (Vicente) Luque is off, it is true,” Dana White said on his official X account in a video posted. “Ian Garry started with the flu, that turned into pneumonia, so that fight is off and is not happening. It is true.”
Last featuring at UFC 292 back in August of this year, Garry turned in his thirteenth straight professional victory, with the former Cage Warriors welterweight champion defeating division stalwart, Neil Magny in a one-sided unanimous decision victory.
Garry himself has since addressed his withdrawal from the bout, revealing he wants to fight, however, was removed from the event by medical staff.
“Spoke to Ian Garry moments ago,” Ariel Helwani posted. “I have pneumonia. They tried to help me. I the end, UFC doctor said there’s no chance I can fight. The UFC doctor made the call. This annoys me more than anyone. I want to fight. It’s my favorite thing to do.”
Who do you want to see Ian Garry fight in his return next year?