One of the most eagerly anticipated matchups of UFC 296 is off.
Ian Machado Garry was all set to take on Vicente Luque in a welterweight main card matchup at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night, but that bout has now been removed from the card after it was revealed that Garry had contracted pneumonia in the lead-up to fight night.
Chael Sonnen was the first to report the news of Garry's illness, and that information was confirmed by UFC CEO Dana White, who posted a video to social media clarifying the situation and stating that the bout had been removed from the card.
"I know it's out there, there's some speculation that Ian Garry and Luque is off. It is true," he said.
"Ian Garry started with the flu that turned into pneumonia. So that fight is off and is not happening. It is true."
Machado Garry did not show for his media day session at the UFC Apex on Wednesday, leading to speculation over the reason for his non-appearance. No reason was provided at the time, but it has now become clear that it was due to illness.
Garry later provided a statement to Ariel Helwani, saying, "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 favorite thing to do."
Luque also responded to the news, and wished his former Kill Cliff FC teammate a speedy recovery.
"First of all, I wish the best recovery. Speedy recovery for him, and the best for his family – and it's really unfortunate," he posted to Instagram.
"I was so ready for this fight. I've had a great training camp. Anybody that sees me on social media sees a little bit of what I've been doing. They know how ready I am for this fight. Weight cut has been going so, so good – the easiest weight cut I've ever had in my career. I have all my team here supporting me. A lot of guys came out in this fight. A lot of people supported me to come watch the fight, as well, and unfortunately it's not going to happen.
"It's out of my control. Everything that I could do, everything that I have control of in my job and really put my heart into this, I did. I gave it my all. Unfortunately, we cannot really control everything. As I said, I wish the best. I wish recovery for Ian. Now it's time for me to rest. I did have a hard training camp."
It remains to be seen whether the matchup will be rebooked for a future date, or whether the pair will receive separate assignments for their next Octagon appearances.
