Ian Garry – Syndication Server

Ian Garry vs. Geoff Neal shifted from Miami to UFC 298 in Anaheim

The rebooked matchup between Ian Garry and Geoff Neal has a new date and location.

The rebooked matchup between [autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag] and [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] has a new date and location.

After UFC CEO Dana White initially announced the welterweight bout for March’s UFC 299 in Miami, the clash between Garry (13-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) and Neal (15-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) has been shifted to UFC 298, which takes place Feb. 17 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., with a main card on pay-per-view following prelims expected on ESPN and ESPN.

White announced the change of date Thursday on social media among a flurry of other fight announcements (via X):

Fight announcements:
Feb 17th, #UFC298
Feb 24th, #UFCMexico
March 30th, #UFCAtlanticCity
April 13th, #UFC300 pic.twitter.com/vcJYI3rekl

— danawhite (@danawhite) December 22, 2023

Garry was scheduled to face Vicente Luque on the main card of UFC 296 this month, but was forced to withdraw Wednesday after falling ill with pneumonia. Now, a few days later, he’s got a new date and opponent for his return. White didn’t reveal why the promotion didn’t keep the booking with Luque.

Garry and Neal (15-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) have history. They were previously booked to fight at UFC 292 in August, but Neal had to pull out of the fight and was replaced by Neil Magny, whom Garry beat in a dominant unanimous decision win. In the build up to the event, Garry wore a t-shirt with the mugshot of Neal, causing a stir online.

The Irishman is undefeated in his MMA career and is regarded as one of the more promising contenders at 170 pounds. On the other hand, Neal, a veteran of the game, is looking to build back to title contention, as he last fought in March when he was submitted by Shavkat Rakhmonov. Prior to that, Neal had back-to-back wins over Luque and Santiago Ponzinibbio.

The latest UFC 298 lineup now includes:

Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria – for featherweight title
Henry Cejudo vs. Merab Dvalishvili
Paulo Costa vs. Robert Whittaker
Ian Garry vs. Geoff Neal
Amanda Lemos vs. Tatiana Suarez
Tai Tuivasa vs. Marcin Tybura
Ikram Aliskerov vs. Anthony Hernandez
Andrea Lee vs. Miranda Maverick
Marcos Rogerio vs. Justin Tafa
Brady Hiestand vs. Rinya Nakamura
Zhang Mingyang vs. Brendson Ribeiro
Oban Elliott vs. Val Woodburn
Danny Barlow vs. Yusaku Kinoshita

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Ian Garry wanted to fight at UFC 296 but ‘doctor made the call’; Vicente Luque reacts to news

Ian Garry expressed frustration in the wake of his removal from UFC 296, while Vicente Luque showed class while taking it in stride.

[autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag] expressed frustration in the wake of his removal from UFC 296, while [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] showed class while taking it in stride.

Saturday’s anticipated welterweight matchup between Garry (13-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) and Luque (22-9-1 MMA, 15-5 UFC) was scratched Wednesday when UFC CEO Dana White announced the undefeated Irishman had a case of pneumonia that would prevent him from competing at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Garry was looking to get out on the other side of a dramatic pre-fight build where he’s been the spotlight of fans, fighters and media with a win, but it won’t happen. He claims it was not his call, though, and ultimately the UFC doctors opted to pull him from the card.

“I have pneumonia,” Garry told MMA journalist Ariel Helwani in a statement. “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.”

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Luque, 32, had the opportunity to unseat the hyped Garry and put himself back on the map in the 170-pound pecking order at UFC 296. He displayed all class when discussing Garry’s pre-fight situation at media day, and unsurprisingly, the Brazilian acted no different in the wake of the cancellation.

“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.

“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.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.

Ian Garry out of UFC 296 fight vs. Vicente Luque with pneumonia

Ian Garry won’t be competing at UFC 296 due to a case of pneumonia.

[autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag] won’t be competing at UFC 296 due to a case of pneumonia.

After reports, prompted by X user RealJesseonFire and subsequently Chael Sonnen swirled from Wednesday that Garry (13-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) might be out of his welterweight fight Saturday against Vicente Luque (22-9-1 MMA, 15-5 UFC) following his absence from media day, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed the news.

“I know it’s out there. There’s some speculation that Ian Garry and Luque is off,” White said in an Instagram video. “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.”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C00aS5vraf-

White did not indicate whether Luque will get a replacement opponent.

Garry, No. 14 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings, sees a dramatic lead-up to his planned bout with No. 13-ranked Luque come to a disappointing conclusion.

The Irishman has been has been the centerpiece of much conversation going into fight week due to facing former Kill Cliff FC training partner Luque, his relocation to multiple gyms throughout training camp and the online backlash he’s received due to a social media examination into the relationship with his wife, Layla.

Before fight week began, Garry said he was concerned about “the safety” of his wife and child. There was anticipation to hear from him during his appearance at Wednesday’s UFC 296 media day. Garry was the first fighter scheduled to speak, but did not arrive at the UFC Apex for his time slot.

Hours later, it was confirmed by White that Garry was dealing with an illness and would not compete.

UFC 296 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.

Ian Garry skips UFC 296 media day, team says ‘every intention to be at press conference’

The UIFC 296 fight week drama around Ian Garry continues to rage after he no-showed his scheduled appearance at media day.

The fight week drama around [autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag] continues to rage entering UFC 296.

Garry (13-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) has been the centerpiece of much conversation going into fight week due to facing former Kill Cliff FC training partner Vicente Luque (22-9-1 MMA, 15-5 UFC), his relocation to multiple gyms throughout training camp and the online backlash he’s received due to a social media examination into the relationship with his wife, Layla.

That materialized when the session ended and UFC officials confirmed to MMA Junkie and other media members that Garry would not be speaking.

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Garry’s opponent Luque, whom he meets in a welterweight bout to open Saturday’s pay-per-view main card at T-Mobile Arena, was not bothered by the Irishman skipping his obligations and sympathized with his situation.

“I did hear that he’s concerned for his family,” Luque said at UFC 296 media day. “If that is the reason, I have his back. I think the biggest thing that we have is our family. Whenever somebody disrespects our family or crosses that line, I think it’s a big problem. … If he feels better like that, he has to do what he has to do.”

Vicente Luque defends Ian Machado Garry potentially skipping #UFC296 media obligations.

"I did hear that he's concerned with his family. If that is the reason, I have his back." pic.twitter.com/Kp2d934wYJ

— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) December 13, 2023

Despite his no-show of media day, it appears Garry intends to attend Thursday’s UFC 296 pre-fight press conference, at which the entire main card for the event will be onstage to answer questions from media members.

According to Andy Stevenson of Irish media outlet Severe MMA, Garry “has every intention to be at press conference.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.

‘It’s always been business’: Teammates Ian Garry, Vicente Luque share audio messages ahead of UFC 296 fight

Teammates Ian Garry and Vicente Luque send each other audio messages after getting booked for UFC 296.

If you wanted to know where Kill Cliff teammates [autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag] and [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] stand after getting booked against each other, well, now we know.

In a collaboration post on Instagram on Wednesday morning, Garry (13-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) shared an exchange of audio messages with Luque (22-9-1 MMA, 15-5 UFC) discussing their booking for a welterweight clash at UFC 296 on Dec. 16.

You can hear their respectful exchange in the post below (via Instagram):

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cxsq-SFsb9H/

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Luque, No. 11 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings, nearly saw his career come to an end in 2022 after he sustained a brain bleed following a knockout loss to Geoff Neal. He took an extended layoff, then returned this past month to outwork Rafael dos Anjos to a unanimous decision in the UFC on ESPN 51 main event.

The Brazilian will try to build momentum again when he meets No. 13-ranked Garry. The brash Irishman is on the rise in the division after his recent domination of Neil Magny at UFC 292 this past month, but Luque is his biggest challenge yet on paper.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.

Stephen Thompson willing to fight Ian Machado Garry but sees Kamaru Usman as ‘no brainer’

Two-time UFC title challenger Stephen Thompson wants to make one final run at a belt and doesn’t think Ian Garry will get him there.

[autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag] wants to make one final title run, and doesn’t see the likes of [autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag] getting him there.

After his fight with Michel Pereira at UFC 291 fell through due to Pereira missing weight, Thompson (17-6-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) wants to set his sights ahead.

Fights with rising contenders Jack Della Maddalena and Garry are fun stylistic matchups that he’d entertain, but after former UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] called him out, that’s the fight “Wonderboy” wants.

“I told UFC, ‘Look, I’ll fight the JDMs. I will fight the Ian Garrys. Just give me a full training camp,'” Thompson said on his YouTube channel. “And then a few days later, lo and behold, Kamaru Usman calls me out? Let’s freaking go.

“I mean, I was willing to fight the JDMs, the Ian Garrys, the Shavkat (Rakhmonovs). But then you’ve got the guy, the No. 1 contender, the former UFC champ, one of the greatest fighters, calling me out. This was a guy I thought I would face one day and never did, and I think he was thinking the same thing. And I was just like, ‘Let’s make this fight happen. Are you kidding me?'”

Two-time title challenger Thompson has given lower-ranked contenders many opportunities, where he lost some fights, and prevailed in others. He thinks it’s only fair he fights a higher-ranked welterweight for a change.

“I’ve been fighting backwards since Tyron Woodley, apart from Gilbert Burns, to be honest with you,” Thompson said. “I’ve been fighting back. I’ve been fighting those 13s – the Geoff Neals, the Vicente Luques, the Belal Muhammads. I tried to get that fight with Michel Pereira, who I think was 15 or 13 – I don’t remember – but giving these guys a shot.

“I want to show the UFC, and not just the UFC, but the fans, that I’m not a gatekeeper. I am not a gatekeeper. I’ve got a small window to kind of do what I want to do with the fight game. I’m 40 years old, and when I see a chance to go for another title shot before it’s over, when Kamaru Usman calls me out, I’m like – dude, no brainer. No brainer.”

Thompson knows he’s had recent setbacks to Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns, but sees a win over Usman as a ticket to a title shot.

“Leon Edwards,” Thompson said. “When I beat Kamaru Usman, that’s my plan – that’s who I want.”

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UFC 292 play-by-play and live results

Check out live play-by-play from UFC 292 in Boston with Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley and Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos title fights.

BOSTON – UFC 292 took place at TD Garden. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) took on challenger Sean O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC). Sterling holds the UFC record for most consecutive title defenses at 135 pounds. In the co-feature, women’s strawweight champ Zhang Weili (24-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) met challenger Amanda Lemos (13-3-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in the first test of her second reign as titleholder.

In addition, former middleweight champ Chris Weidman (15-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) returned from more than two years out after a severe broken leg in 2021. He took on Brad Tavares (20-9 MMA, 15-8 UFC) in a featured bout on the prelims. Plus, two new “Ultimate Fighter” winners will be crowned on the prelims.