Reigning UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards won’t be training with Ian Garry anytime soon.
On December 16, Garry will return to the Octagon four months removed from his impressive unanimous decision victory over Neil Magny. With the win, ‘The Future’ finally broke into the welterweight division’s top ten and announced himself as a legitimate contender in the stacked 170-pound weight class.
Neil Magny taunted Ian Garry from the ground
#UFC292 pic.twitter.com/XeVc7LsomU
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 20, 2023
Unfortunately, Ian Garry’s success has seemingly resulted in him being booted from his gym in Birmingham courtesy of the division’s top dog, Leon Edwards, who also trains at the facility.
“Leon Edwards, his head coach asked me not to come back to Renegade,” Garry told The Independent. “Told me I’m not allowed to train there. I have to word this correctly because I don’t wanna be… The guys at Renegade… It was great energy. Tom and Ash were very welcoming, lovely, and nice to me. It was nothing to do with them.
“Leon and his head coach had an issue with me training on the mats and recently have asked me not to train there, because, ‘Leon doesn’t want any insecurities or doubts on his own mats, within the gym,’ which I don’t fully understand.”
Ian Garry is not a threat to Leon Edwards… for now
Leon Edwards and Ian Garry are both scheduled to step inside the Octagon at UFC 296. Garry will attempt to continue his climb up the top-ten rankings when he meets division standout, Vicente Luque. As for Edwards, the undisputed welterweight champ will put his title on the line against perennial contender Colby Covington in the evening’s highly anticipated main event.
“I get that we’re both in the top 10 and you might see me as a threat, but I’m not a threat to you right now; I’m not fighting for the title right now,” Garry continued. “His coach said the words: ‘Ian is a threat, I cannot have Leon having any doubts or insecurities.’ That makes me think someone is weak-minded and can’t have another contender training on the mat. That’s why gym conflict is annoying. For me, why not have that other elite guy on the mat? Why not train with him?”
Ian Garry is currently 13-0 in his mixed martial arts career with six of those victories coming under the UFC banner. He boasts a 50% finish rate inside the Octagon with knockouts against Rostem Akman, Song Kenan, and Daniel Rodriguez.