Leon Edwards' team responds to news of Ian Machado Garry being denied entry in gym, says he did not 'add to the team's culture'
UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards and his team train at the Team Renegade MMA & BJJ gym in Birmingham, England, and recently had an issue involving 170-pound contender Ian Machado Garry.
Machado Garry has trained at the gym before. but is not being allowed to return, a decision he put down to Edwards' preference. The Irishman came out with a statement about him not being allowed back last week.
Team Renegade responded with a statement of its own to The Independant in the aftermath of Machado Garry's comments and mentioned that fighters from outside the gym are not usually allowed entry. Futhermore, if a certain fighter does not add to the "team's culture," he or she may be refused entry.
Renegade also cited Ian Machado Garry's approach of constantly changing his gyms and training at various locations, a strategy that has so far yielded him the right results.
“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.”
Check out Team Renegade's comments below:
What did Ian Machado Garry say about Leon Edwards and Team Renegade?
Ian Machado Garry had spoken to The Independent about his gym conflict with Leon Edwards. 'The Future' maintained that he appreciated the people who ran the gym but faced friction from Edwards' coaches.
“Gym conflict has absolutely been a massive issue recently. Leon Edwards, his head coach asked me not to come back to Renegade; told me I’m not allowed to train there. Firstly, I wanna put out there that Ash and Tom, who run Renegade… I don’t wanna give any negatives without saying a positive. I don’t want any s*** with any gyms. The guys at Renegade… it was a great energy. Tom and Ash were very welcoming, lovely and nice to me. It was nothing to do with them."
Machado Garry explained that he poses a threat to Leon Edwards' title in the near future, but insisted was not an immediate issue that warranted such action from Edwards' coaches:
“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. "