Why did Ian Garry skip UFC 296 media day?
By Jaren Kawada
For better or worse, Ian Machado Garry has been a popular topic of conversation on social media ahead of UFC 296. But, on Wednesday, Garry missed his scheduled 11:30 a.m PT meeting with the media and eventually no-showed the interviews.
This is not uncommon, sometimes the schedule changes, but it's interesting it's Ian this week.
— Amy Kaplan (@PhotoAmy33) December 13, 2023
There was no official reason given for his absence, but some speculated that Garry was sick or even pulling out of the fight. Neither of those have been confirmed. As far as his appearance at the UFC 296 official press conference is concerned, it's still up in the air.
Due to the unwanted attention Garry is receiving online about his wife and gym issues, rumors had circled on Twitter that the Dublin native may skip the press conference. Garry has openly admitted to being irate about the negative conversations on social media that have all but certainly thrown him off mentally.
To his credit, Garry's opponent backed him up when it was revealed he might not attend the media events.
Ian Garry is scheduled to fight Vicente Luque at UFC 296
From just a logistical perspective, Garry enters the top-10 clash with Vicente Luque with a perfect 13-0 record including 6-0 in the UFC. After entering the promotion with a considerable amount of hype behind his name, Garry started slowly in the octagon before silencing critics with dominant performances against Daniel Rodriguez and Neil Magny. Since his debut, the young Irish prospect has gained many comparisons to his idol, Conor McGregor.
Unfortunately for the undefeated welterweight, much of his personal life has been publicized and rumored about as of late. Garry has also told TNT Sports that because of the chatter on Twitter, he and his family have received threats and the Irishman is 'cautious' about traveling to the United States for the 'safety' of his family.
Typically active on social media, Garry has been particularly quiet in the lead-up to his pay-per-view main card fight with Luque amid the many controversies circling his name. With very little known about how Garry is handling the situation internally, the UFC 296 media day will provide the best opportunity to gauge the 26-year-old's psychological state.
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