Getty Images Ian Garry pulled out of UFC 296 with pneumonia.
Ian Machado Garry finally broke his silence following the cancellation of his UFC 296 scrap against Vicente Luque.
Machado Garry was a no-show for media day but it was later revealed by the UFC that he is dealing with pneumonia. His fight with Luque was scratched from the pay-per-view event on Wednesday due to the illness.
“The Future” has been in the headlines quite a bit over the last few months due to details of his personal life being made public. Some suggested Machado Garry could be backing out due to criticism and very public trolling. However, Machado Garry confirmed while calling into TNT Sports that he is battling an illness.
“I can barely breathe,” Machado Garry said during the official weigh-ins show. “It’s upsetting and irritating because you guys know I love to fight more than anything and I’ve never pulled out of a fight. I’ve never been in this situation, but here we are, and I’m going to deal with it the way we deal with it, the best in the world.”
Machado Garry previously released a statement through Ariel Helwani expressing his frustration over the illness.
“I have pneumonia,” he said. “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.”
Ian Machado Garry Worried About His Family’s Safety
Getty ImagesIan Machado Garry is undefeated in the UFC but has faced lots of criticism out of the octagon.
Recently, Machado Garry has faced intense criticism online. This backlash is partly due to his relationship with his wife, Layla, who is 14 years older than him. Layla wrote a book titled “How to be a WAG,” offering advice to women on how to pursue relationships with wealthy and famous athletes.
Machado Garry has also been called out over his relationships at his former gyms and antics before fights. He said prior to UFC 296 that he feared for the safety of his family.
“I’m a little bit cautious about going to America for the safety of my family with all the s**t that’s been going on online,” Ian Machado Garry said. “To protect my wife, to protect my child, to protect myself.”
Despite his out-of-the-octagon issues, Machado Garry is one of the top prospects in the UFC. The 26-year-old Irishman is 13-0, with his last six wins coming in the UFC.
Kevin Holland Offered to Step in for Ian Garry on Short Notice
Machado Garry’s opponent, Luque, dealt with the late cancelation with grace.
“First of all, I wish the best recovery. Speedy recovery for him, and the best for his family – and it’s really unfortunate,” Luque said on 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.”
Veteran fighter Kevin Holland is always down for a short notice fight and threw his hat into the ring to face Luque.
“Here is the deal,” Holland wrote on social media. “I checked with both my wife and my girlfriend, and they said I can fight this weekend.”
Luque is game to make it happen.
“So guys I saw that Kevin Holland wants to jump in to substitute for the fight Saturday night and I want to tell you guys I’m down,” Luque said on Instagram. “So Kevin, if you’re really down to come here, let’s do this. Let’s mix it up. Let’s get in that Octagon and go to war and hey, I’m willing to do 180, so we can do it at 180 and let’s put on a show for all the crowd.”
The UFC has yet to announce another opponent for Luque, who will likely have to wait for his next fight.