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UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards primarily trains at Team Renegade and fellow UFC welterweight fighter Ian Garry had cross-trained there as well.
That relationship between Garry and Team Renegade has seemingly come to an end and Garry says that he was booted from the gym due to “insecurities” on Edwards’ behalf.
“Leon and his head coach had an issue with me training on the mats and recently have asked me not to train there,” Garry told 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?”
Garry currently sits at #10 in the UFC Welterweight Division rankings and could find himself standing across the Octagon from Edwards sooner, rather than later.
Team Renegade would issue a statement of their own to The Independent, explaining their side of the issue with Garry.
“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.”
