Vicente Luque's immediate reaction to opponent Ian Garry pulling out of UFC 296
Vicente Luque recently shared his reaction to his opponent Ian Garry pulling out of the UFC 296 event due to illness. Luque expressed his regret about not being able to perform this weekend and stated that he's looking to get some rest after going through a brutal training camp.
UFC CEO Dana White confirmed earlier today that Garry caught the flu, which later became pneumonia, and needed medical treatment. Due to this, the Irishman was forced to pull out of this weekend's pay-per-view event. It was also confirmed that the Luque-Garry fight has been scrapped from the card entirely.
In a recent video uploaded to Instagram, Vicente Luque wished Ian Garry a speedy recovery and admitted that while he did everything he could, some situations were out of his control. He said:
"Unfortunate news, the fight is out. Unfortunately, Ian is, from what I know, he has some kind of illness... First of all, I wish him the best recovery, a speedy recovery, and the best for his family... I was so ready for this fight, I had a great training camp... Now it's time for me to rest, I did have a hard training camp."
UFC 296: Ariel Helwani reveals details of conversation with Ian Garry after fight cancelation
Ariel Helwani recently took to social media to reveal details about his conversation with Ian Garry regarding the Irishman pulling out of his fight at UFC 296 due to pneumonia.
The veteran journalist confirmed that 'The Future' sounded like he was in poor health and reported that the UFC doctors made the call not to allow him to fight this weekend. Helwani tweeted:
"Spoke to Ian Garry moments ago. “I have pneumonia. They tried everything to help me. In the end, UFC doctor said there was 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.” FWIW [For What It's Worth], he sounds quite bad."
Garry had been embroiled in controversy over the past few weeks after it came to light that his wife, Layla Anna-Lee, authored a satirical 11-page book titled 'How To Be A WAG'. The book uses satire to mock the narratives around women who lure professional athletes into relationships. Due to widespread fan fury, Ian Garry also turned off the comments section on his social media handles.
It's unclear if the UFC will re-book the Luque-Garry fight, and only time will tell if the two Kill Cliff FC teammates share the octagon in the future.