Midnight Mania! Insecure Rocky Boots Garry Off Birmingham Fight Team

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Two fighters train together at a high-level MMA gym. One becomes champion, and the other is a top contender. Suddenly, there’s drama in the room, and somebody has to seek greener pastures. It’s a story as old as combat sports, one that’s played out repeatedly in the UFC.

Remember when the Jackson-Winkeljohn team chose high young prospect Jon Jones over longtime team member Rashad Evans? How about all the TJ Dillashaw vs. Team Alpha Male drama? Urijah Faber is 44 but still wants to fight Dillashaw, even if he is part-robot!

Ian Garry is the latest to find himself in such a sticky scenario.

The Irish Welterweight standout is something of a ronin, a traveler who has worked with many elite MMA teams around the globe. In fact, he’s trained extensively with Vicente Luque at Kill Cliff FC, and the two are set to fight at UFC 296 on December 16. Surprisingly, that’s not the problem! Those two have been cordial since the booking and may train together again after the fight.

Garry’s training plans in the United Kingdom have been disrupted, however. According to the No. 10-ranked Welterweight contender, 170-pound kingpin Leon Edwards doesn’t want Garry hanging around Team Renegade in Birmingham anymore. He’s too insecure about the possibility of fighting Garry and wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing the mats with him anymore.

“Leon and his head coach had an issue with me training on the mats and recently have asked me not to train there,” Garry explained to The Independent. “Because, ‘Leon doesn’t want any insecurities or doubts on his own mats, within the gym,’ which I don’t fully understand.

“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. 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? Why not have him push you? Why not learn and grow from each other?

“It’s very irritating, because I’m a young fighter who wants to be the best in the world, who wants to train with the best in the world, and Renegade is the best gym in the UK. I went there to learn from the guys around Birmingham and who have essentially proven that it’s the best gym in the UK; I didn’t go there to train with Leon, I went there to train with that gym, because they’re amazing.”

Garry’s frustrations are understandable, but so are the actions of Edwards and his coaches. Even if Garry doesn’t score a fight with “Rocky” in the next year, he trains with half of the best Welterweights in the world at Kill Cliff. If Team Renegade don’t want its secrets or Edwards’ strategies leaking across the world, tighter security makes sense.

Without Team Renegade or Kill Cliff behind him, this could be a real blow to Garry’s training for Luque.

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Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.