Leon Edwards opened up on why his team no longer welcomes Ian Machado Garry to their gym.
Garry has spent the past few months training in various gyms where he recently visited Team Renegade, home of UFC welterweight champion Edwards. However, that didn’t last long as, according to Garry, Edwards’ coach said, “Ian is a threat. I cannot have Leon having any doubts or insecurities.”
Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) denied Garry’s version of events.
“I think everyone knows that’s bullsh*t,” Edwards said in an interview with Sky Sports. “I’m on top of my game. Basically, the gym decided that he just wasn’t fitting for the gym. We’re just too different – the culture in our gym, he’s like a talker, a social media guy, brings his cameras everywhere. He’s late to sessions. It’s like two different cultures to what we have in our gym. The guys decided, not because of me.”
Garry faces Kill Cliff teammate Vicente Luque on Dec. 16 at UFC 296, whereas Edwards headlines the card when he defends his title against Colby Covington.
Edwards doesn’t anticipate any bad blood but questions Garry’s bad history with prior gyms.
“I wish him well in his career, I’ve got nothing good or bad to say about him,” Edwards said. “The coaches decided that he didn’t fit into the gym. It wasn’t the first gym he’s been kicked out of, right? He was in America. What happened there? His gym in Ireland that he started with, what happened there? So, it can’t be everyone else around you, right?”
Edwards also denied Paddy Pimblett’s claim that he knocked out Garry in training.
“I didn’t knock him out in training by the way,” Edwards said. “He got good work, but how do you go from that to insecure? I think he wants this. He wants everybody talking about him and like I said, I wish him well. Hopefully he finds a team that he can actually settle with, and that’s his team. I just find it strange how you get to his level with no team is weird. Being in the UFC, you’ve got no one that’s loyal to you or wants you there. That is strange.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
