Michael Page explains how Ian Garry's gym-hopping habit can badly backfire inside octagon: "You're gonna lose the fight"
Michael Page has suggested that Ian Garry's history of shifting base from one gym to another could adversely affect the Irishman in his fights. A former Bellator MMA star, 'Venom' is scheduled to make his second appearance inside the octagon, as he fights Garry in a highly-anticipated welterweight bout at UFC 303 (June 29, 2024).
A criticism that's followed the 26-year-old Garry in his young career is that he's conducted his training camps under the guidance of different coaches. Speaking to David Adesanya on UFC megastar Israel Adesanya's Freestylebender YouTube channel, Page has now addressed the same. 'Venom' stated:
"He [Ian Garry] actually hasn't been to our gym, surprisingly. As you say, he seems to go. But I think that's more of a case of, from what the whispers are around, that's more a sense of his personality. He, obviously, doesn't get on well with people, well with coaches, for whatever reason. But I've seen a lot in my career. I've seen a lot of people that are like that."
He added:
"And I find they struggle to gain success because of that constant movement and constant instability. So, obviously, he's been successful this far. But I think he's gonna have to try to knuckle down and focus in one place for a little while. And I think you learn better when you are working with people that you genuinely trust as well."
Michael Page underscored the significance of a strong fighter-coach relationship and line of communication. The 37-year-old implied that particularly during tough fights when tied one round a piece, the fighter needs to be able to trust their coach's instructions and fight accordingly:
"If you don't have that relationship, or that line of communication, then for the most part, you're gonna lose the fight."
Watch Page's assessment below (9:57):
Ian Garry has trained at multiple world-class gyms
Ian Garry previously trained at the Team KF Martial Arts gym in Swords, Dublin, Ireland but departed it before his Cage Warriors welterweight title bout in 2021. Though he won the fight, his corner was bereft of his coaches from the gym and instead featured his partner (Layla Anna-Lee) and a fellow fighter.
The gym notably issued a statement, emphasizing that Garry became uncoachable under his new manager, Anna-Lee, and ignored repeated warnings to mend his ways.
Besides, 'The Future' also trained at Team Renegade in Birmingham, UK, which is UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards' home gym. Ian Garry was eventually banned from the gym, which he alleged was because Edwards viewed him as a threat and didn't want to train with him anymore.
Leon Edwards and Team Renegade countered by claiming that Ian Garry's methods didn't align with their gym's culture, which is why he was cast out. Furthermore, 'The Future' was to fight Vicente Luque in Dec. 2023. He and Luque trained together at Kill Cliff FC in Florida, and before their scheduled fight, the Irish combatant shifted to the Chute Boxe gym in Brazil.
Garry withdrew from the Luque matchup due to pneumonia. Nevertheless, he returned to beat Geoff Neal via split decision in Feb. 2024. He's lately trained at Chute Boxe under the tutelage of Diego Lima, who's waxed lyrical about him and prophesied that 'The Future' could become the UFC welterweight champion by the end of 2024.