Ian Machado Garry gives health update, rips Chael Sonnen’s ‘creative journalism license’

Ian Machado Garry says he’s recovering from pneumonia and will return to the octagon as soon as he’s able.

For now, the polarizing Irish welterweight told TNT Sports he “can barely breathe” as he grapples with the respiratory illness, which scratched him from Saturday’s pay-per-view event at T-Mobile Arena.

Garry called into TNT Sports’ pre-fight show for UFC 296 and gave an update on his health. He was scheduled to face ex-training partner Vicente Luque in the PPV opener before his withdrawal. He could be heard coughing during the interview as he answered questions.

“It’s upsetting, it’s irritating, it’s annoying,” he said. “You guys know I love to fight more than anything, and I’ve never had to be in this situation, but here we are, and we’ll deal with it the way we deal with everything: the best in the world.”

Garry also took issue with the initial report of his withdrawal, which came from UFC star turned MMA commentator Chael Sonnen, who broke the news of his illness. In a YouTube video announcing the scratch, Sonnen claimed Garry’s son was suffering from the same illness and was taken to the hospital.

“That’s Chael talking out of his [expletive], and making stuff up with his creative journalism license,” Garry said. “He’s fine. He’s absolutely fine, and the only thing is he’s more annoyed that he can’t go and watch the fights; he loves watching the fights.”

Garry’s participation was first cast into question when he didn’t attend a media day for UFC 296 on Wednesday. Many MMA fans speculated he had shied away from the spotlight amid a flurry of bad headlines surrounding his personal life, which dogged him in the leadup to the fight.

But as Garry told TNT Sports, “the truth is, I’ve got what I’ve got, I’ll deal with it, and we’ll get back on the horse and we’ll fight.”

Garry most recently appeared at UFC 292 in August, beating Neil Magny in a grudge match marred by trash talk involving Magny’s family. In a recent interview, Magny said Garry’s words had a real-world effect on a custody battle with his estranged wife.

At 13-0, Garry has captured the spotlight as a brash upstart looking to emulate the success of his countryman, former two-division champion Conor McGregor. He is 6-0 in the octagon. It’s unknown whether his fight with Luque will be rebooked for a later date; welterweight vet Kevin Holland volunteered to fight Luque on short notice.