Ian Garry fears for the Safety of his family heading into UFC 296: ‘I’m a little bit cautious about going to America’
Ian Garry is days away from the biggest fight of his mixed martial arts career.
On December 16, Ian Garry will return to the Octagon for a high-stakes welterweight clash with No. 8 ranked contender Vicente Luque. However, most of the headlines concerning Garry have had nothing to do with his upcoming clash. Instead, they’ve largely focused on the drama surrounding his wife and a curiously titled book she authored more than a decade ago.
With fans and fellow fighters slamming him on social media and in interviews, Garry is being very cautious as he travels to the U.S. for his seventh appearance with the promotion.
“I’m excited for UFC 296,” Garry said speaking to TNT Sports. “I think it’s a massive card. A card with all the big names, a lot of big matchups. I’m a little bit cautious about going to America for the safety of my family with all the sh*t that’s been going on online. To protect my wife, to protect my child, to protect myself.”
Last month, reigning UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland took aim at Garry, and his wife, Layla Anna-Lee, who wrote a guidebook teaching older women how to date young athletes and celebrities. The book in question, titled How to Be a WAG, was described by Anna-Lee as satirical, but Strickland wasn’t buying it.
Strickland dubbed Anna-Lee, who is 14 years older than Garry, as a “succubus” and a “predator.” That seemingly opened the floodgates for fans online to join in on the hate, forcing ‘The Future’ to privatize his social media channels.
Ian Garry Remains as Confident as Ever going into UFC 296
Amid all the background noise, Ian Garry was still trying to prepare for a massive fight at the UFC’s final pay-per-view of the year. Asked if all the comments and news coverage could potentially affect his performance come fight night, ‘The Future’ said:
“I’m not remotely concerned or worried about the fight. The fight’s fun. The fight’s easy for me. It’s always something I enjoy, something I love.”
Chances are, Ian Garry and Sean Strickland will cross paths at some point during the fight week festivities, or at the event itself, but for the most part, the Irishman is ready to let bygones be bygones. For now, anyway.
“The buildup to fight week I love,” Machado Garry said. “The press conferences, weigh-ins, everything. I love it. It’s energy. I thrive off it, but me not being able to react to people in person, it’s going to wind me up a little bit” (h/t MMA Fighting).
