Irish fighter Ian Machado Garry has spoken out about his shocking removal from this weekend’s UFC 296 fight card in Las Vegas.
UFC CEO Dana White announced on Thursday that Garry, who was set to face Vicente Luque, had been pulled from the fight after developing pneumonia following a recent bout of flu.
Ariel Helwani was able to speak with Garry, who expressed his disappointment at being unable to fight at the event, 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.”
Garry added, “This annoys me more than anyone. I want to fight. It’s my favourite thing to do.” The fighter, audibly sick during the conversation, was clearly upset about the situation.
It remains to be seen whether the UFC will find a replacement for Luque or if the fight will be rescheduled for a later date once Garry recovers.
The undefeated Irishman was aiming to extend his UFC record to 7-0 with a win over Luque, and his withdrawal is just the latest in a series of high-profile pullouts from recent UFC events.