Ian Machado Garry will have to wait to get his big step up in the UFC welterweight division.
Geoff Neal has withdrawn from his UFC 292 fight with Garry next weekend due to an undisclosed health issues, his management team confirmed to MMA Junkie.
Neal (15-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) and Garry (12-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) were supposed to fight in a 170-pound bout on the main card of the Aug. 19 event, which takes place at TD Garden in Boston and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Garry reacted to the news on social media (via Twitter):
Geoff Neal has bitched out – I’m still showing up in Boston ain’t no one stopping me… pic.twitter.com/UeP01Cs4Ls
— “The Future” Ian Machado Garry (@iangarryMMA) August 9, 2023
Garry, 25, is coming off a first-round TKO of Daniel Rodriguez at UFC on ABC 4 in May. He’s earned three of his five UFC victories by knockout and is already 2-0 inside the octagon this year.
The Irishman said in his reaction video that he intends to remain on the UFC 292 card, and hinted at Neil Magny as a potential replacement opponent. Though nothing has been confirmed at this time.
Neal, 32, was attempting to rebound from a submission loss against Shavkat Rakhmonov in the Fight of the Night at UFC 285 in March. He missed weight for the first time in his career prior to the bout, which ended a run of back-to-back wins over Vicente Luque and Santiago Ponzinibbio.
The latest UFC 292 lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
- Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley – for bantamweight title
- Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos – for strawweight title
- Ian Machado Garry vs. opponent TBA
- Mario Bautista vs. Cody Garbrandt
- Pedro Munhoz vs. Marlon Vera
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
- Brad Tavares vs. Chris Weidman
- Gregory Rodrigues vs. Denis Tiuliulin
- Kurt Holobaugh vs. Austin Hubbard – “TUF 31” lightweight final
- Brad Katona vs. opponent TBA – “TUF 31” bantamweight final
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6:30 p.m. ET)
- Gerald Meerschaert vs. Andre Petroski
- Andrea Lee vs. Natalia Silva
- Maryna Moroz vs. Karine Silva
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.
