Ian Garry is no longer welcome at Team Renegade in Birmingham.
In October, the fast-rising Irish star revealed that he had been banished from the famed European gym at the request of reigning UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards, who is currently in camp for his highly anticipated title tilt with Colby Covington on December 16.
Garry, who returns that same night against Vicente Luque, was informed of his exile by Team Renegade coaches who reportedly placed the blame on the shoulders of Edwards.
“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, Garry claimed in an interview with The Independent “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.”‘
Team Renegade Claims Leon Edwards Had Nothing to do with Ian Garry’s Removal
Team Renegade responded to Ian Garry’s statement, claiming that his lone-wolf style of training is not in line with the culture they are attempting to maintain within the gym walls and refuted any accusations that Leon Edwards was the peron behind Garry’s removal.
“Sometimes the coaches allow fighters to come in from the outside, but this is very much a privilege and not the norm,” Team Renegade wrote in a statement to The Independent. “If the coaches feel it’s not adding to the team’s culture, a fighter is refused entrance. Ian Garry’s more nomadic approach to preparation has given him great results, but it’s not in line with what we are creating at Team Renegade. This has nothing to do with one specific fighter or a specific coach.”
Bursting into the welterweight top-ten with an impressive showing against Neil Magny in his last outing, Ian Garry could find himself standing across the Octagon from Leon Edwards sooner rather than later, assuming he can get past his next big challenge in Vicente Luque.
Emanating from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, UFC 296 will close out the promotion’s pay-per-view year with two massive world title fights and the return of British fan favorite Paddy Pimblett.