Leon Edwards still doesn’t understand why there was so much fuss around Ian Garry being kicked out of his gym.
Last month, ‘The Future’ made headlines when he revealed that he was booted from Team Renegedage after training at the Birmingham gym for a couple of weeks. Garry initially claimed that Edwards was the catalyst for his removal, suggesting that the reigning welterweight titleholder was “weak-minded” and afraid to train with a rising contender in his weight class.
Representatives of Team Renegade quickly denied those claims, suggesting that Garry was simply not adding to the team culture. A reasonable explanation, but it did nothing to quell news coverage, especially after another UK star, Paddy Pimblett, added fuel to the fire by claiming that ‘Rocky’ had KO’d Garry during a sparring session at the gym, adding additional tension to the situation.
Appearing on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Leon Edwards believes that Garry turned nothing into something as a way to try and score a little bit of clout for himself.
“It’s weird. I don’t get it because this is the third gym that he’s been kicked out of so I don’t get why now it’s such a big thing that he came to Renegade and the coach asked him to leave. He just made a big story out of nothing. You’ve been to the gym for two weeks. That’s not really your gym. Were you were two weeks. You went to another gym. You went to Brazil. You went to 10 other gyms. Why’s it such a big deal?
“But I think everyone knows what it is now and he’s just looking for that back-and-forth. He wants this right? He wants people to talk about him. He wants me to go back and forth, but like I said, he’s got a tough fight on his hands, and good luck to him.”
Asked if Garry is potentially trying to angle himself for a title fight with a win over Vicente Luque at UFC 296, Edwards said:
“I don’t think he’s anywhere near the belt. I don’t see him winning and getting a fight for the title. I think he’s just trying to get this back and forth. His engagement on social media. He comes to the gym, there’s cameras in the gym recording. It’s a weird environment when he’s around. It is what it is.”
‘Rocky’ also confirmed that it was a unanimous decision to ask Garry to leave Team Renegade.
As for whether or not Edwards will greet Garry when the two inevitably bump into one another inside T-Mobile Arena this weekend, the champ says that the time for pleasantries is over.
“Nah, I feel like that road is crossed,” Edwards added. “I see like little videos of him just talking sh*t and his Mrs talking sh*t.”
Leon Edwards speaks to Ariel on the Ian Garry X Renegade situation and if he will say ‘hello’ during UFC 296 fight week:
“Nah, I feel like that road is crossed. I see like little videos of him just talking sh*t and his Mrs talking sh*t.”@Leon_edwardsmma / @arielhelwani /… pic.twitter.com/Kkjc2BjT6v
— AFeldmanMMA (@afeldMMA) December 11, 2023
Leon Edwards Predicts an Early Night at UFC 296
Amid all the drama with Ian Garry, Edwards has been preparing for his second welterweight title defense this Saturday night (December 16) at UFC 296. Once again stepping into the main event spotlight, ‘Rocky’ will put his title on the line against perennial contender Colby Covington.
‘Chaos’ enters the title fight with a 2-2 record over the last four years, both losses coming in title fights against Kamaru Usman. Why Covington is getting another title shot after accomplishing essentially nothing over the last several years remains a point of contention between Edwards and the UFC. However, the reigning champ is no longer concerned with the why. He is now choosing to focus on the how.
As in, how will he finish Covington and permanently retire his hopes of ever hoisting UFC gold?
“I think he’ll start fast like he always does,” Edwards said. “I think I stop him in round two or three, either by knocking him out or submission. He’s too careless in the way he competes. It’s too careless for someone like me. I’m just way more better than him. I truly believe that.
“I know he’s banking on this f*cking charging forward, but there’s more to fighting than that and I’m gonna show that.”
Leon Edwards goes into his latest title fight riding an impressive 11-fight win streak that dates back to May 2016.
Watch the full interview below:
