Unfortunately, the Vicente Luque vs. Ian Machado Garry matchup got away, but that might just be a thing of the moment.
Luque strongly thinks he’ll eventually see Garry’s name on a contract again, but with the result of them actually fighting each other. The two were booked to fight at UFC 296 in December. Both fighters got through camp, but on fight week, Garry was forced to withdraw due to pneumonia, and the bout was scrapped.
It was a big hit for the event, as many fans were looking forward to the matchup. Yet, despite the failed booking, Luque doesn’t think the matchup got away forever and expects to run into Garry in the future.
“I think that if he keeps doing what he’s doing, which is rising, my plan is also the same: climb as high as possible,” Luque told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “So if we both keep advancing, I think we’re going to fight. I think we now have it cleared up. We’re both ready to fight each other, so I think it’s something that makes sense.”
Luque (22-9-1 MMA, 15-5 UFC) returns to the cage this Saturday, as he takes on Joaquin Buckley (17-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 54 in Atlantic City, N.J.
Many expected Luque and Garry to get rebooked after the cancellation, and were puzzled to see Garry get matched up against Geoff Neal for UFC 298 in February, , a fight he won by split decision, and then see Luque booked for UFC on ESPN 54.
The Brazilian revealed that the UFC did try to keep the matchup, but unfortunately, the dates didn’t align and both had to go their separate ways.
“The truth is that they tried to rebook the fight for January or early February, but I had a whole camp for December, and I was ready to fight,” Luque explained. “I came down to 178 pounds (from 190), so I dropped a lot of weight and I needed to respect my body. I also had a trip to Orlando for the holidays, and all my family from Brazil was coming. I told the UFC that I always accept any fight, but this time, I couldn’t for January or February.
“I told them I could be ready to fight him in March or April anywhere. I’d be ready. Let’s do it. I also wanted to fight with Kevin Holland (at UFC 296 in December), but they didn’t want the 180-pound catchweight. So, in the end, we just agreed to look for another fight in March, and we found this one.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.
