UFC Welterweights Ian Garry and Leon Edwards are both on the brink of crucial UFC 296 bouts. They find themselves at a crossroads. Edwards is preparing to defend his UFC 170-pound title against Colby Covington, while Garry is gearing up for a face-off with Vicente Luque on December 16.
Garry, who also trains at Kill Cliff, has had a recent change of scenery, prompting Team Renegade to shed light on their decision. According to a statement given to The Independent, Team Renegade emphasized that while they occasionally welcome outsiders, this is a privilege and not the norm. If the coaching staff deems that an individual isn’t contributing positively to the team’s culture, they may deny access.
“Sometimes the coaches allow fighters to come in from the outside, but this is very much a privilege and not the norm. 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.”
The statement clarified that Ian Garry’s more nomadic training approach has yielded results but doesn’t align with Team Renegade’s current vision. It’s important to note that this decision isn’t specific to any single fighter or coach.
This situation came to the forefront when Ian Garry spoke with The Independent about his departure from the Birmingham-based team. Garry revealed that both Leon Edwards and his head coach expressed concerns about him training on the mats and had requested that he refrain from doing so. Their rationale, as Garry explained, revolved around Leon not wanting any insecurities or doubts to arise on his home mats within the gym.
“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.”
“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.”
While Garry acknowledges their proximity in the top 10 rankings, he expressed his view that he wasn’t an immediate threat, particularly given that he wasn’t currently competing for the title.
However, Leon’s coach raised concerns about Ian being perceived as a threat and stated that they couldn’t afford Leon having any doubts or insecurities.