Team Renegade, home of UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards, has closed the doors to top contender Ian Machado Garry.
Garry revealed the news in an interview with The Independent last week, and he was not happy to learn that he could no longer train at the U.K. gym. Garry has trained with many different teams, but most of his time has been spent with Kill Cliff in South Florida and in Birmingham, England with Team Renegade.
“Leon and his head coach had an issue with me training on the mats and recently have asked me not to train there,” Garry said. “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.’
Garry, who returns on Dec. 16 at UFC 296 against Kill Cliff teammate Vicente Luque, doesn’t understand the mentality behind being closed off from the gym in England.
“That makes me think someone is weak-minded and can’t have another contender training on the mat,” Garry said. “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?”
Team Renegade issued a statement to The Independent in the same report, where they said that the decision was made because Garry doesn’t fit the culture of the gym.
“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. “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.”
