Ian Garry pulls out of UFC 296 fight against Vicente Luque with pneumonia

14 December 2023 , 05:00

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Ian Garry pulls out of UFC 296 fight against Vicente Luque with pneumonia

Ian Garry is OUT of his UFC 296 fight against Vicente Luque on Saturday after contracting pneumonia.

Unbeaten welterweight star Garry was scheduled to meet Luque at the UFC's final-pay-per-view event of the year in Las Vegas but the fight is now off. Rumours started to pop up regarding the Irishman's withdrawal from the card after he skipped his contractual duties at media day on Wednesday.

UFC boss Dana White announced that Garry came down with the flu and his condition then worsened to pneumonia. "I know it’s out there. There’s some speculation that Ian Garry and Luque is off. It is true, it is. Ian Garry started with the flu, that turned into pneumonia. So that fight is off and is not happening. It is true," White said in an Instagram video.

Ian Garry is OUT of his UFC 296 fight with Vicente Luque (Getty Images)

Garry claimed he wasn't the one who pulled the plug on his fight, stating the UFC doctor made the final decision. "I have pneumonia. They tried everything to help me. In 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 favourite thing to do," he told Ariel Helwani.

Garry and his wife Layla have been relentlessly trolled by fans in recent weeks after a satirical book from Layla, who is 14 years older than Ian, resurfaced in which she jokingly instructed women on how to notch up a famous sportsmen. Garry even voiced his concerns about travelling to America for his ill-fated fight as he feared for the safety of his family following the online events.

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Layla, who also serves as Garry's manager, told Andy Stevenson that Garry "had every intention to be at the press conference" on Thursday before news broke of his withdrawal. Luque, a former training partner of Garry's, wasn't phased by his rival's absence at the media day and shared his support for the Irishman.

"I'm not into all that is going on and I did hear that he is concerned with his family. If that is the reason, I have his back. I think the biggest thing we have is our family. Whenever somebody disrespects our family or crosses that line, it's a big problem. I think it's very unfortunate with everything that's been going on regarding him and his family. That's something that is super disrespectful," he said.

Harry Davies